The oh-my-god greatness of flor de jamaica quesadillas

My friend Jesica and I started a recipe exchange a few weeks ago. The idea was to share a little bit of our cooking knowledge — mine: baked desserts; hers, Mexican vegetarian food — and then eat our fabulous creations at each others’ houses. Last week, for the first installation, we made apple brown betty and homemade cinnamon ice cream; this week, it was Jesica’s flor de jamaica quesadillas and pasta al ajillo.

I don’t know if I can accurately convey my love for these quesadillas. They’re crispy. Savory. Tangy. The flowers, boiled in water and tossed in butter and olive oil, have a slightly crunchy, toothsome texture that almost reminds me of calamari. And they’re just so pretty: A deep purpley-pink color, like you’d see splashed on a quinceañera dress in a window here.

I seriously think I could eat them every day for the rest of my life.

And because they are so easy, you must make them. And the pasta too: It’s garlicky and spicy, and not too heavy. The mushrooms are tender and soft. Mmmm.

We made our own pasta because Jesica rolls like that, but store-bought would be just fine. And if you really want to make the most out of this, you could invite a few girlfriends over and share a few bottles of wine. Then, giggly and light-headed, you can take a cab home and fall asleep for two hours, happy to be alive to eat such amazing food and to know such great people.

Recipes after the jump.

Flor de Jamaica Quesadillas and Pasta al Ajillo
Serves 4 generously
Note: We each ate our own quesadilla, because we’re gluttons like that. But half a quesadilla per person seems like a good amount, especially if you’re serving pasta with it, or a salad.

For the quesadillas:
1/3 of a 100g package of dried jamaica flowers (ends up being about two cups, once they’ve been boiled)
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 or 2 serrano chilies, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Olive oil
1-2 tablespoons balsamic or white vinegar
Manchego cheese, sliced (Jesica uses Mexican manchego)
3 pita pockets, sliced open halfway
Salt to taste

For the pasta:
1 package fettuccine or linguine
1 package of oyster mushrooms, sliced, totaling about two heaping cups
1 head garlic, each clove peeled and sliced into slivers
3 dried guajillo chilies

The jamaica flowers should be softened in advance — either a few hours or a day. To do so, fill medium saucepan with water and set to boil. Toss in jamaica flowers and cook, uncovered, until they’ve plumped up. (Note: They shouldn’t completely soft, like mush. Cook for 10 or 15 minutes, until they’ve regained their volume.) Drain and reserve the water, which, when reduced, makes AMAZING syrup for coconut ice cream. Set the flowers aside.

Meanwhile, boil a teakettle of water for the guajillo chilies. Place chilies in heat-proof baking dish, and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes, or until soft. Afterward, remove membranes and seeds from the chilies. Roughly chop them — Jesica likes to roll them up like burritos, and chop them into little strips.

To begin the quesadillas: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and one glug of olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft, inhaling the yummy buttery-onion aroma. Add the serrano chile, stir, and then add the jamaica flowers. Cook mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, until flowers have softened a bit. Add the sugar and cook a few minutes more. When flowers have darkened into a deep-purple color, add the vinegar. (Should be enough for once around the pan.) Cook until vinegar reduces, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste, stir and remove from heat.

Place sliced cheese inside pita pockets. Then add spoonfuls of the jamaica flower mixture. Heat in toaster oven until cheese has melted, or you can also heat them on a griddle. Cut in half or quarters, and serve.

For the pasta: Place pasta water on stove to boil. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottmed skillet, heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds to a minute. Then add the chopped chilies. Stir and cook for two to three minutes, and add the mushrooms. Heat until mushrooms are tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes. (Add more olive oil if the mixture looks too dry.) Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta, and add it to your big pot o’ mushrooms and chiles. Toss and serve warm. Mmmm.