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The Bounties of Summer |
I grew up in an environment where the only way to eat was farm to table.
when something was in season, we ate it! And, lots of it. The thought of zucchini or squash blossoms produces memories of summer picnics, outdoor grilling, but also, cozy rainy midday meals. None of these memories are of me eating the blossoms, but eating around them - taking them out of quesadillas, leaving them in my bowl of chicken soup, and skipping them all together when they were stuffed with cheese, among other things. Ask me now, however, if I want to pass on consuming this delicious gift from the earth. The three dishes I mention are, in order of preference, my favorite way of eating them.
The quesadillas, made with corn masa, stuffed with oaxaca cheese and blossoms, served with a smoky homemade red salsa, are unlike anything you get in a restaurant. While it is not healthiest of meals one can have, I choose to practice moderation in other aspects of consumption in order to allow my palate to experience the jubilation of flavors that this meal produces.
On to the chicken soup. Again, not one of my favorites while growing up. Now, I see it as a way to enjoy life in a bowl: comfort when sick, nourishment when hungry, and happiness to be able to consume mother nature's gift to humans.
To stuff a blossom or to use it as stuffing, that is the question. The more common way to find these pockets of joy in the United States is filled with cheese and fried. There should be a fast food place that you can drive though and super-size an order of these babies. The more civilized way of chopping and mixing with other veggies and breadcrumbs to stuff anything from a tortilla to a poblano, would also make a good number one. Please!
when something was in season, we ate it! And, lots of it. The thought of zucchini or squash blossoms produces memories of summer picnics, outdoor grilling, but also, cozy rainy midday meals. None of these memories are of me eating the blossoms, but eating around them - taking them out of quesadillas, leaving them in my bowl of chicken soup, and skipping them all together when they were stuffed with cheese, among other things. Ask me now, however, if I want to pass on consuming this delicious gift from the earth. The three dishes I mention are, in order of preference, my favorite way of eating them.
The quesadillas, made with corn masa, stuffed with oaxaca cheese and blossoms, served with a smoky homemade red salsa, are unlike anything you get in a restaurant. While it is not healthiest of meals one can have, I choose to practice moderation in other aspects of consumption in order to allow my palate to experience the jubilation of flavors that this meal produces.
On to the chicken soup. Again, not one of my favorites while growing up. Now, I see it as a way to enjoy life in a bowl: comfort when sick, nourishment when hungry, and happiness to be able to consume mother nature's gift to humans.
To stuff a blossom or to use it as stuffing, that is the question. The more common way to find these pockets of joy in the United States is filled with cheese and fried. There should be a fast food place that you can drive though and super-size an order of these babies. The more civilized way of chopping and mixing with other veggies and breadcrumbs to stuff anything from a tortilla to a poblano, would also make a good number one. Please!
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