For a dinner party last night, squash was on the menu. Also: pork tenderloin. But squash was the main guest, in many forms.
This is because at the farmer's market yesterday, I was frantically looking for squash blossoms -- and all I could find were these tiny, beautiful unopened buds (and I'm sorry, I can't remember the name of the farm -- the stand is next to Mariquita). 
I asked what they could be used for -- I was in a stuff-with-ricotta-and-fry mindset and these were obviously way too tiny for that -- and the guy told me that A16 had requested them from the farm -- to be larded generously into risotto or sprinkled over pizza. So I bought a basketful and went on my way. Of course, I did find the bigger squash blossoms over at Mariquita soon after.
It's a lovely aspect of the relationship between our local farms and local restaurants -- working together and willing to experiment with different produce, then passing the benefits along to home chefs as well as the restaurant patrons.
Since I'm ailing -- a cold has robbed me of all sense of taste -- I can't describe what they tasted like. But they were delicate and light and quite beautiful in risotto.
