Green Chile & Squash Blossom Quesadillas

Roasted green chiles and squash blossoms with jack cheese make for a really delicious quesadilla! I roast the chiles on the grill and then grill the quesadillas to melt all the cheese and crisp up the tortillas. In the summer I serve these with a stone fruit salsa, usually composed of plums and nectarines with lime, jalapeno, & cilantro. Yumm.

Anything inside of a tortilla with melty cheese is my idea of a good dinner. They couldn't be easier, of course. Even with the fancy salsa they take 15 minutes total to bring together. Serve with a simple side salad and dinner is done!

For the quesadillas:

Yields 4 servings

8 corn tortillas

3 oz shredded monterey jack cheese

4 medium Poblano chiles

12 squash blossoms, stamens and stems removed

1) Brush the chiles lightly with olive oil. Place them on a hot grill until the skins are completely black and charred all around, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam for 5 minutes. The skins should peel right off. Remove the seeds and ribs and dice finely.

2) Coarsely chop the squash blossoms and place them in a bowl with the chiles. The residual heat from the chiles should wilt the squash blossoms enough for your purposes here.

3) Sprinkle the cheese on the tortillas and spread around a couple of tablespoons of the chile/blossom filling. Top with another tortilla, brush each half lightly with olive oil and grill until crispy and the cheese is melted.

For the stone fruit salsa:

Yields 1 1/2 cups

2 medium red flesh plums (like Santa Rosa), diced into 1/2" pieces

2 medium yellow flesh nectarines, diced into 1/2" pieces

1 medium jalapeno chile, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced

6 sprigs cilantro, leaves removed and finely diced

juice of 1 lime

sea salt & black pepper to taste

1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on top of quesadillas or with anything else you can imagine.... chips, crudite, grilled fish etc....

(thank you, Harvard Farmers Market for the use of your photo)