Drunken Woman Lettuce

Can you believe the size of this lettuce? Yes, it really is just one head of lettuce. One head of beautiful, voluptuous, Drunken Woman lettuce that was so large it could barely fit into the bag. It came from Let Us Farm, a farm (with no web-site that I can find) in Oakville, WA specializing mostly in unique and interesting lettuce varieties. I have to admit that I was first drawn in by the name, but upon closer inspection I started noticing the perfect crispness of the leaves and the impressive symmetry of the way each leaf seemed to unfurl in a continuous circle. The two dollars I spent on this head of lettuce yielded the equivalent of about four "regular" heads that you might find at the grocery store. This steal of a deal gave further evidence to support some interesting stats I read recently about how it is actually less expensive to shop at farmer's markets than at a grocery store. (Open up the pdf at this link to get the full scoop.)

So, we have a lot of salads to eat this week. Last night we tried the Drunken Woman with some Romesco vinaigrette and a bit of blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts sprinkled on top. When torn apart, the leaves of the Drunken Woman appeared to look similar to a common red leaf lettuce, but there was no mistaking its superiority once I took a bite. It had much more substance and crispness, the perfect vehicle for any number of vinaigrettes or toppings. Who knew lettuce could be so inspiring?

Squash Blossoms

We first ate the delicate flor de calabaza, or squash blossoms, years ago in Mexico where they were tucked between two tortillas in the ubiquitous quesadilla. While they have been an integral part of many "ethnic" cuisines for years now, squash blossoms are only fairly recently becoming quite trendy in the states. I would like to think that this is due to the rise in farmer's markets and the increasing availability of a previously uncommon product. Or, perhaps it's because farmers finally got tired of having so much zucchini come August! Whatever the reason, I was delighted to find a basket brimming with squash blossoms while at the market this past weekend. They offered both the plain flowers (the "males") as well as the flowers with the baby squash still attached (the "females"). (It turns out that only the female flowers have "babies". The male fruit of the squash plant flowers and then fades away after its pollinating job is done.) I eagerly filled up my bag with some of each, and headed home to consult my recipes.

In Mexican cooking, the squash flower is used in a myriad of ways. Besides being thinly sliced and used as a vegetable in soups or quesadillas among other things, the blossoms are often stuffed with some sort of filling and either baked or fried. It Italy where they are also quite prolific, the squash blossom is stuffed and then usually battered and deep-fried. In fact, most of the recipes I found were for stuffing and frying. Not only do I not have the equipment or the desire to deep-fry in my kitchen, but my whole goal here was to actually taste this delicate flower, not cover it up with a bunch of cheese and deep-fried flavor. So frying was out, but stuffing was definitely in. Being in the Mexican frame of mind, I continued down that path and decided on stuffing them with a mixture of masa (corn flour) and goat cheese before baking them in the oven.

While many recipes use a cheese-only filling, my hope was that the masa would thicken the filling enough (while still remaining soft) so that it could stand up to the longer baking time required to cook the baby squash completely. So rather than being the star, the goat cheese (also from the market) was instead there to lend a bit of richness and bright acidity to the filling. I also added some toasted and very coarsely crushed pine nuts, chopped oregano, and a splash of cream. As the flowers themselves are extremely fragile, I used a pastry bag to pipe the filling into the center of each one before coating the outsides in olive oil, salt and pepper and then baking them. The results? Even better than expected! The subtle flavor of the corn from the masa really seemed to compliment the earthiness of the squash, and the filling was gentle enough not to overwhelm the flowers. Although the blossoms themselves didn't have a very distinct flavor, their crispy tips and soft and silky texture certainly did stand out. And, it was a very fun meal to cook and eat. I guess next year I ought to plant more zucchini in my garden, if only to harvest their lovely flowers!

Masa-Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms
This recipe makes enough filling to stuff approximately ten flowers.

Gently clean squash blossoms by rinsing off any of the baby squash under water. Do not get the flowers wet, but instead brush off any dirt and open them carefully to remove the pistil inside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the filling, saute one small, minced shallot for about a minute in olive oil. Add 1/2 cup of beer and let come to a boil. Stir it for about one minute while the beer foams and the alcohol cooks off, then add 1/2 cup of water. Once it boils again, whisk in 1/4 cup masa harina. Cook over low heat while stirring constantly for another few minutes or until all of the lumps are gone and the mixture is thick. Add more water to thin if it becomes too thick. Remove from the heat and add several tablespoons of goat cheese, then stir to melt slightly. Add 2 tbsp. each of toasted and coarsely crushed pine nuts, chopped oregano (or other herb) and cream. The filling should be close to the consistency of cookie dough.

Use a small spoon or a pastry bag to scoop or pipe the filling evenly into each prepared flower. Place flowers on a baking pan, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, then toss carefully to coat. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the squash is tender when poked with a fork.