Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Pumpkin Blossom Quesadillas

A couple weeks ago I was so thrilled to see that Peter's Pumpkins was selling pumpkin blossoms at the farmers market.
Pumpkin Blossoms
Typically you hear of people stuffing these & frying them but we'd been wanting to use them in quesadillas. We'd never had blossoms served this way & were interested to see what kind of flavor they added to the filling.
Pumpkin Blossom Quesadillas
These were really good quesadillas though I'm not sure the blossoms added a ton of flavor. I think maybe we were expecting a stronger squash flavor then we got. Perhaps we needed to use more than one bunch. Anyway, it was fun to play with an ingredient that was new for us & it did make for a pretty filling.

Pumpkin Blossom Quesadillas

1/2 T olive oil + extra for brushing on the tortillas
1/2 c chopped red onion
1 pepper chopped (we used a red gypsy pepper but a poblano would be great too or something spicy if you like spicy)
1 clove garlic, minced
12 - 14 pumpkin (or other squash blossom), stems & stamens removed
2 T water
4 oz quesadilla cheese or monterey jack, grated
4 flour tortillas

Heat the 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper & garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent & the pepper is starting to get tender. Add the blossoms & water & cook while stirring until the blossoms are wilted.

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Top one tortilla with half of the cheese & half of the blossom mixture. Top with another tortilla. Brush with a little oil. Put oiled side down on the hot griddle. Cook until brown & crisp. Brush the top with more oil & flip. Cook until that side is brown & crisp & the center is melted.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Cut into wedges & serve with sour cream & salsa.

Makes 2 quesadillas.

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8 comments:

  1. What a nice idea! I'm thinking--if they don't add much flavor, maybe actually putting the quesadilla filling in them would be good? Either way, sounds delicious!

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  2. Wow, I love how your ingredients are new to me! I will be looking for these now. Your food is expanding my horizons :) Thanks!

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  3. Oh Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater- I had no idea you could eat pumpkin blossoms but now I am like, duh, of course you can. You two always have good ideas.

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  4. They sure are pretty! I once had squash blossoms on a pizza in Rome, and it was just gorgeous to eat, even if they weren't super flavorful, if that makes sense?!

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  5. peter's pumpkins--ha. honestly, all i can usually taste when i eat quesadillas is the cheese, and you won't hear me complaining about that. :)

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  6. What an interesting way to use the blossoms!

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  7. Great idea! I haven't cooked with blossoms yet, but they always look so good.

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  8. Didn't even know pumpkins had blossoms! Putting them in the quesadillas sounds great. Have you heard of loroco? It's a bud that you'll find in Salvadoran style pupusas. So why not pumpkin blossoms!

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