Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Time can get away from you when you’re not paying attention. There it is. Eighteen months since my last post. Sooo tempting to think of all the excuses “but, I broke my camera” (ah yes, the casualty during a trip to Israel with my mom last April) … “my job is too busy right now” … “I’m distracted with this relationship” … “oh, I’m changing jobs, I’ll just… maybe when I settle in…” And, suddenly, summer was nearing its end and I realized I hadn’t even been to the farmer’s market this year. So, I did one of those Saturday morning-yoga pants-messy bun (no, that sounds cute… this was a post-workout, sweat dripping, hair frizzed out)-kind-of-farmer’s-market-morning. It struck me that morning how much I had missed it. There’s just this feeling at the farmer’s market that I love of connecting to community, to local farmers, to fresh food. There is also something really special about the transition of the market between the seasons. Squash blossoms are one of those treats during the summer to fall transition. Looks like I picked the right time to dive back in.
Squash blossoms. So beautiful. So delicate. So ready to be stuffed with ricotta. Yes, holding that fragile flower and wondering how in the world you’ll stuff and fry it without decimating it is a completely valid thought! Don’t be intimidated though; it’s really quite easy. There are a few little tricks. But, I’m telling you–you got this! Stuffed squash blossoms make a beautiful appetizer, they lay perfectly on top of a salad, and talk about an impressive side dish…! My problem was keeping them long enough to “properly” serve these gorgeous buds. My “I’ll try just one” turned into an “oooh, hot hot hot…” breathing out of a mouth full of fried flower cheesy goodness. I ate all of them…right off the paper towel…didn’t even make it to a plate. I’d love to show you the final product, but there are a few things that get rusty after not blogging for over a year (my appetite was not one of them…).
“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
Ingredients
- Squash blossoms:
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup finely cut basil
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 12 to 16 zucchini squash blossoms
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chilled seltzer or club soda
- Approximately 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
- Tomato sauce:
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
Make tomato sauce first:
Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until garlic is golden (30-45 seconds). Add chopped tomatoes, water, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) until thickened.
Prepare the ricotta filling:
While the tomato sauce is simmering, stir together the ricotta, egg yolk, thinly sliced basil, 1/3 cup parmesan, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Place the ricotta filling in a pastry bag or in a plastic ziplock bag with a small tip cut off one of the corners of the plastic bag.
Prepare squash blossoms:
Carefully open each blossom. This can be a little tricky as they are delicate. Gently open the petals (lightly untwist the petals, there are four...don't pull too hard as you don't want to rip the petals down to the base). When you open the flower petals, you will find the stamen or pistil. You can use your fingers or small scissors to carefully remove it. At this point, you can remove the blossom from the baby squash or stem (I keep the stem on mine to use as a handle when turning in the pan, but the texture is a little tough so you may not want to eat it later). Lightly rinse under cool water and drain on paper towels.
Fill the blossoms:
When the blossoms have dried off a bit, open the petals again and fill the blossom with approximately 2 teaspoons of ricotta filling by gently squeezing it from the bag into the open blossom. Then, gently twist the end of the blossom to close the filling inside. Note: You will probably have some filling left over. I squeezed my leftover ricotta filling into my scrambled eggs the next morning 😉
Whisk together the flour, remaining 1/3 cup parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and seltzer water in a small bowl.
Fry the stuffed blossoms:
Heat 1/2 inch oil to 375°F in a 10-inch heavy skillet. While the oil is heating, dip half of the blossoms in batter to thinly coat. Fry the coated blossoms, turning once, until golden (1 to 2 minutes total).
With tongs, transfer the fried blossoms to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry the remaining blossoms. Season with salt and serve immediately with the zesty tomato sauce.
https://www.travelynneats.com/2018/10/28/stuffed-squash-blossoms/
