It’s that time of the year when those beautiful squash blossoms selectively appear at the farmer’s market and specialty grocery stores. I look forward to it because they have such a short life and add something very special to traditional dishes.
Last year, I stuffed them with cheese and fried them to crispy perfection. The year before that, I turned them into a silky creamy soup to enjoy during the May Gray and June Gloom weather of Los Angeles. Of course, you can always add them to your breakfast frittata or stuff them in a quick quesadilla, but the more I handle these precious little blooms, the more I want to do with them.
This year, I decided to pan fry them with a generous portion of onion and garlic and stuff them in a roasted Poblano chile and serve it with the traditional chile relleno tomato sauce. I decided not to dredge the chile in the whipped egg mixture and fry it because I wanted to keep it as healthy as possible. You are more than welcome to do that because I know the taste will be incredible.
Squash blossoms tend to shrink so one must purchase a substantial amount if you’re planning to prepare family size dishes. Don’t be shy and purchase as much as you can because you will be using every single one of those pretty little flowers.
Serve this up for a special weekend lunch this spring. Pair it up with white rice or potatoes for a complete meal.
Ingredients
- 2 large Poblano peppers
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 cup onion, sliced in strips, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 pounds squash blossoms, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup Manchego cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Roast Poblano peppers over a gas flame, turning frequently with tongs, until charred on all sides, about 5 minutes each. Place in a plastic bag, set aside to allow steaming for 10 minutes. Then, using your hands, rub and remove the pepper charred skin under running water. Cut chilies open, remove, seeds and veins. Set aside.
- Boil tomatoes with enough water to cover until skins begin to peel. About 10 minutes. Remove and place them in a blender container. Add 1/2 cup onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pulse 3-4 times leaving pieces of tomato and onion for texture. Heat sauce in a saucepan over low medium heat, season with pepper and stir frequently. Adjust salt if needed. Set aside and keep warm.
- Remove blooms' sepals, leaving just the petals and stems to work with.
- In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over low medium heat. Add remaining 1/2 cup onion and remaining garlic clove. Stir until translucent. Add blooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat for 5 minutes or until blooms have incorporated in the mixture. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
- Spoon in squash blossom mixture in Poblano chile and place on a serving plate. Serve with warm tomato sauce and a side of rice.
