Fresh basil pesto over squash blossoms stuffed with shiitakes, garlic and our cheese - and let's not forget the smoked beef rib from this cook.
Fresh garlic is so easy to peel, this came from Half Pint.
Amir Hebib's shiitakes, the whole container full, sliced and ready to go.
Squash with blossoms from Arethusa Collective. All were local ingredients found at the farmer's market.
So here goes: saute mushrooms with a clove of garlic, let cool. Add some grated Tomme Collins or your favorite cheese - they all will work. Stuff flowers. Place squash on a lightly oiled sheet sheet pan - or in my case, a beat-up old pizza pan. Add more cheese over the top of the blossoms, and add a few grinds of pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Place into a preheated 425f oven and bake for 18 minutes.
During those 18 minutes, I made a fantastic pesto to serve with the squash, and fret not about the leftover mushroom stuffing - I stirred it into the rice.
Arethusa's basil, our cheese, and more garlic (recipe here) - ignore those pine nuts, they aren't local:) Oh, and just for the record, this is the third meatless recipe I've done in the past 30 days. A record!
Lots of aroma coming from the oven - and no worries about it being stuck down, the cheese was toasted crisp like a cracker. Or maybe that's due to the terrior of a 23-year old pizza pan? Yummy! This recipe really hit a homer for all the senses.
My plate was all kinds of messy, but soooo good. The pesto really tied everything together - it was excellent with the beef and the rice - Dan ate all the rest of the squash off the pan with his fingers!
