Chef Lupita
Enchiladas Mineras de Guanajuato
Guanajuato's mining-city enchiladas are corn tortillas dipped in guajillo salsa, fried in manteca, filled with queso fresco, and served with papa, zanahoria, chicken, and chiles en escabeche.
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Quesadillas de Flor de Calabaza Bajiense
Created by
Guanajuato's Bajio quesadillas fold fresh flor de calabaza, epazote, chile serrano, and queso Oaxaca into hand-pressed corn masa, then brown them on a comal until the edges crisp.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Mexican
Weeknight
Quick Meal
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
25 min cook•50 min total
Yield8 quesadillas
Guanajuato, in the Bajio, is where I place these quesadillas: market masa, squash blossoms from the milpa, epazote, chile serrano, and a comal that has seen more breakfasts than any restaurant pan. In Dolores Hidalgo and the markets around Celaya, flor de calabaza appears in baskets when the squash plants are giving both blossom and fruit. If the flowers are not fresh, do not make this today. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado.
This is not a flour tortilla quesadilla. Flour tortillas belong to the north. Here the quesadilla is made from blue or white corn masa, pressed by hand, folded raw, sealed, and cooked on the comal. The masa is the wrapper and the food at the same time. That is why it has to be fresh, hydrated, and handled with attention. If you use a packaged tortilla and call it the same dish, the señora who taught you would send you back to the press.
The filling is quiet because Bajio cooking often is. Not weak. Quiet. Flor de calabaza tastes green and faintly sweet, epazote pulls it back toward the earth, and queso Oaxaca melts without taking over. A little chile serrano gives edge, not punishment. This is a 32-state cuisine, and not every Mexican dish is trying to set your mouth on fire.
My mother wrote only one line about squash blossoms in her notebook: cook them fast or they disappear. She was right. La cocina no es decoracion, es trabajo. These quesadillas are weeknight food, yes, but weeknight food still deserves correct hands.
Squash blossoms have been eaten in central Mexico since pre-Columbian milpa agriculture tied corn, beans, squash, and chiles into one farming system. The quesadilla as a masa-based folded antojito developed from that corn tradition, while the use of melting cheeses expanded after Spanish-introduced dairy animals became part of central Mexican foodways. In the Bajio, especially Guanajuato and Queretaro, flor de calabaza quesadillas remain tied to market cooking and rainy-season abundance, not to the northern flour tortilla tradition.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh masa for tortillas, blue or white corn
Quantity
2 cups
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
warm water (optional)
Quantity
2 to 4 tablespoons
only if the masa feels dry
manteca de cerdo
Quantity
2 tablespoons
divided
white onion
Quantity
1/2 medium
finely chopped
fresh chile serrano
Quantity
1
finely chopped
fresh squash blossoms
Quantity
2 cups
stems and stamens removed, torn into wide strips
fresh epazote leaves
Quantity
1 tablespoon
finely chopped
queso Oaxaca
Quantity
6 ounces
pulled into thin strands
salsa de molcajete with jitomate and chile serrano (optional)
Quantity
for serving
lime halves (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh masa for tortillas, blue or white corn | 2 cups |
| fine sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| warm water (optional)only if the masa feels dry | 2 to 4 tablespoons |
| manteca de cerdodivided | 2 tablespoons |
| white onionfinely chopped | 1/2 medium |
| fresh chile serranofinely chopped | 1 |
| fresh squash blossomsstems and stamens removed, torn into wide strips | 2 cups |
| fresh epazote leavesfinely chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| queso Oaxacapulled into thin strands | 6 ounces |
| salsa de molcajete with jitomate and chile serrano (optional) | for serving |
| lime halves (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Tortilla press lined with thin plastic
- •Comal de barro or cast iron comal
- •Small clay cazuela or skillet for the filling
- •Woven cotton servilleta for holding finished quesadillas
Instructions
- 1
Season the masa
Put the fresh masa in a bowl and knead in the salt. Pinch a piece between your fingers. It should feel soft and moist, not crumbly. If it cracks at the edges, knead in warm water one tablespoon at a time. Masa listens to the weather. A dry day in Guanajuato asks for more water than a rainy one.
- 2
Clean the blossoms
Open each squash blossom gently. Remove the tough stem and the stamen from the center, then tear the petals into wide strips. Do not chop them into confetti. Flor de calabaza is delicate and collapses quickly on the heat, so leave it large enough to taste.
- 3
Cook the filling
Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a skillet or small clay cazuela over medium heat. Add the onion and chile serrano and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion turns translucent but does not brown. Add the squash blossoms and epazote. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, just until the blossoms wilt and darken slightly. Salt lightly. Pull the pan off the heat. The filling should taste green, floral, and clean, not watery.
If the blossoms release too much liquid, cook them one minute longer with the pan uncovered. Wet filling breaks a quesadilla open on the comal. - 4
Press the tortillas
Divide the masa into 8 balls, each about the size of a small lime. Line a tortilla press with two pieces of thin plastic and press each ball into a tortilla about 5 1/2 inches wide. The edges should be mostly smooth. If they split badly, the masa is dry. Fix it now, not after it is on the comal.
- 5
Fill and fold
Place a pressed tortilla on the open plastic. Put a small handful of queso Oaxaca on one half, then spoon over some squash blossom filling. Leave a clean border around the edge. Fold the plastic over to close the tortilla into a half-moon and press the edges firmly with your fingertips. This is a quesadilla de masa, not a supermarket tortilla folded around cheese. Different thing entirely.
- 6
Brown on comal
Heat a comal de barro, cast iron comal, or heavy skillet over medium. Brush with a little of the remaining manteca. Cook the quesadillas 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once or twice, until the masa has dark toasted spots, the seam is sealed, and the queso Oaxaca has melted inside. The surface should look dry and lightly crisp, with a little shine where the manteca touched it. Así se hace y punto.
- 7
Serve immediately
Serve the quesadillas hot from the comal on a brown-glazed plate from Dolores Hidalgo or a simple clay platter. Put salsa de molcajete and lime halves on the table. Do not bury them under crema, lettuce, or yellow cheese. The flor de calabaza is the point.
Chef Tips
- •Buy squash blossoms the day you cook them. They should look open, bright yellow-orange, and tender, not slimy or collapsed. If the market has no good blossoms, cook mushrooms with epazote instead and admit you made a different quesadilla.
- •Fresh masa from a tortilleria is best. Masa harina works only if you hydrate it well and let it rest 20 minutes before pressing. It is a compromise, not an upgrade.
- •Use queso Oaxaca because it melts in strands and stays gentle. Quesillo from Oaxaca is correct too. Cheddar has no business here.
- •A comal de barro gives a softer, rounder heat. Cast iron works if that is what you have. A nonstick pan will cook the food, but it will not give the same dry toasted surface.
Advance Preparation
- •The squash blossom filling can be cooked up to 4 hours ahead and held covered in the refrigerator. Drain off any liquid before filling the quesadillas.
- •The masa can be salted and portioned 2 hours ahead. Keep it covered with a damp cloth so it does not dry at the edges.
- •Do not assemble the quesadillas far ahead. The filling will soften the masa and the seams will split on the comal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 125g)
Calories
220 calories
Total Fat
10 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
380 mg
Total Carbohydrates
27 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
7 g
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