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Quesadillas de flor de calabaza
Courgette-flower and melting cheese quesadillas, Mexico City style
In Mexico City markets, squash blossoms (flor de calabaza) are sold by the armful in the rainy season and end up in quesadillas: soft corn tortillas folded around the flowers cooked with onion, green chilli and epazote, with stringy Oaxaca cheese. A famous Chilango joke is that a quesadilla there does not automatically come with cheese, so ask for it! The blossoms taste delicately of young courgette and wilt into a silky filling against the toasty corn. Serve them straight off the pan with salsa verde. Choose a cheese made with vegetarian rennet; if you can't find Oaxaca cheese, low-moisture mozzarella melts the same way. Chef's tip: cook the blossoms only until they collapse; any longer and they turn to mush and lose their colour.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
For the quesadillas
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Prepare 20 courgette flowers: snap off the stems and the green spiky sepals at the base, pull out the stamen inside, and check for insects. Tear each flower into 2–3 strips. Don't wash them unless dirty; if you must, shake them dry well.
5 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook ½ white onion for 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add 1 clove garlic and 1 serrano chilli and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4 minStep 3: Add the blossoms, 4 fresh epazote if using and ½ tsp salt. Stir for 1–2 minutes, just until the flowers collapse and turn glossy, then tip into a bowl.
2 minStep 4: Pull 7 oz Oaxaca cheese into thin strings, as you would string cheese; thin strands melt quickly before the tortilla burns.
2 minStep 5: Heat a dry comal or heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Warm a tortilla from 8 corn tortillas for 20 seconds a side until pliable, so it folds without cracking. Fresh tortillas made from masa harina (nixtamalised corn, not cornmeal) are best here if you make your own.
1 minStep 6: Scatter cheese over half the tortilla, add a spoonful of the blossom filling, fold it over and press gently. Cook for 2–3 minutes a side, until the cheese has melted and oozes at the edge and the tortilla has golden-brown spots. Repeat with the rest, two at a time.
8 minStep 7: Serve straight away with ½ cup salsa verde if using; quesadillas toughen as they cool.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does quesadillas de flor de calabaza take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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