Quesadillas Oaxaqueñas de Quesillo y Flor de Calabaza

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy griddle
• •Tortilla press (prensa de tortillas)
• •Plastic produce bags, cut into rounds for the press
• •Medium skillet for the filling
• •Clean kitchen towel or cloth servilleta for keeping quesadillas warm

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the squash blossoms

   Hold each blossom by the base and gently peel back the petals. Pull out the pistil and the little cluster of stamens inside. They are bitter and gritty. Strip any thorny leaves from the stems but keep the tender stems attached if they are thin. Rinse quickly under cold water. Do not soak them. Squash blossoms absorb water and turn to paste if you leave them sitting wet. Shake them gently and lay them on a clean towel. Chop them roughly into two or three pieces each.

   Check inside each blossom for small insects. Market blossoms in Oaxaca come straight from the field and sometimes carry passengers. A quick rinse handles it.
2. 2

   Cook the filling

   Melt the tablespoon of lard in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and the chile serrano. Cook for two minutes, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Add the chopped squash blossoms and the epazote. Stir once, season with the quarter teaspoon of salt, and cook for no more than two minutes. The blossoms will collapse into soft, bright strips almost immediately. The moment they are wilted and the epazote is fragrant, take the skillet off the heat. Overcooked squash blossoms turn to mush and lose the delicate sweetness that makes them worth buying. Set the filling aside.

3. 3

   Prepare the masa

   If you are using fresh masa, knead it with the half teaspoon of salt and the tablespoon of lard until the dough is smooth and does not crack at the edges when you press it flat. If it cracks, it is too dry. Add water a teaspoon at a time, kneading after each addition, until the dough is pliable. If you are using masa harina, combine it with the warm water, salt, and lard, stir until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for three minutes until smooth. The dough should feel like soft clay. It should not stick to your hands and it should not crack when you press a ball flat between your palms.

   Fresh masa from a tortilleria or a Mexican market is always the better choice. Masa harina is a compromise that works, but you will taste the difference. If you have a tortilleria near you, buy the masa the morning you plan to cook.
4. 4

   Form the quesadillas

   Divide the masa into eight equal balls, each about the size of a golf ball. Heat a comal or cast iron griddle over medium-high heat and grease it lightly with a little lard on a folded paper towel. Take one ball, place it between two pieces of plastic cut from a produce bag, and press it in a tortilla press to about five inches across, thicker than a regular tortilla. The disk should be sturdy enough to fold without cracking. Peel back the top plastic. Lay a generous portion of quesillo threads across one half of the disk, then spoon a tablespoon of the squash blossom filling on top of the cheese. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling, pressing the edges to seal. The quesillo should be touching the masa on both sides so it melts into the tortilla, not sitting on top of it.

   If the edges will not seal, your masa is too dry. Wet your fingertips with water and pinch the edges closed. The quesadilla does not need to be perfect. It needs to hold together on the comal.
5. 5

   Cook on the comal

   Lay the quesadilla on the hot, lightly greased comal. Cook for about two and a half to three minutes on the first side. The bottom should develop golden-brown spots and the masa should set firm enough that the quesadilla holds its shape when you flip it. Turn it carefully with a spatula and cook the second side for two to three minutes more. You will know it is ready when the masa is toasted with dark spots, the edges are set, and the quesillo inside has melted into threads. Press gently on the top with your spatula. If you feel give and resistance, the cheese has done its job. Work in batches, keeping finished quesadillas warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel or cloth servilleta.

   The comal should be hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates in two seconds. Too cool and the tortilla dries out before it toasts. Too hot and the outside burns while the cheese inside stays cold.
6. 6

   Serve immediately

   Stack the quesadillas on a warm plate or in a basket lined with a cloth servilleta. Serve with salsa de pasilla oaxaqueno if you can make one, or a simple salsa verde of tomatillo and chile serrano. Eat them while the quesillo still pulls in threads. A cold quesadilla is a dead quesadilla. The cheese sets, the masa stiffens, and the magic is gone. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Quesillo is the only cheese for this dish. It is a pulled-curd string cheese from the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, sold wound into balls at every market in the state. If you cannot find true Oaxacan quesillo, look for queso Oaxaca in a Mexican grocery. Mozzarella is a distant substitute that will melt but will not pull the same way. Do not use Monterey Jack, cheddar, or anything that belongs on a sandwich. This is not that kind of quesadilla.
• •Flor de calabaza has a season. In Mexico, it runs roughly from June through October during the rains. If your market is not selling squash blossoms right now, do not force the dish. Make quesadillas de quesillo con epazote, cheese and herb, and wait for the blossoms. Mexican grandmothers cook what the mercado is selling today.
• •The tablespoon of lard in the masa is not optional. It makes the tortilla pliable and gives it a flavor that oil cannot replicate. La manteca es el sabor. You will taste the difference between a masa made with lard and one made without.
• •In Oaxaca, the chile that belongs in this filling is chile de agua, a regional fresh chile with medium heat and a vegetal sweetness. Outside Oaxaca, it is nearly impossible to find. Chile serrano is the closest practical substitute, and a good one, but if you ever find chile de agua at a specialty vendor, buy it and taste the difference.

Advance Preparation

• •The squash blossom filling can be cooked up to two hours ahead and held at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it or the texture goes limp and watery.
• •The masa can be prepared and portioned into balls up to one hour ahead, kept covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. Past one hour, the surface cracks and the masa becomes difficult to press.
• •Do not assemble or cook the quesadillas in advance. They are assembled, pressed, and cooked to order. That is how every market quesadilla vendor in Oaxaca works, and there is a reason for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)