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/
Tomato Galette with Goat Cheese, Honey & Thyme
Sometimes it’s hard to decide what’s more perfect: a weekend morning strolling the farmer’s market or the post-market creations… Life is full of hard choices. But, making this tomato galette should not be one of them… Galette’s are so easy, so versatile, so lunch, brunch, dinner with a side salad, served hot, cold…so midnight snack.
This galette recipe caught my eye on Bloglovin. Tomatoes, goat cheese, thyme …and honey. Oh honey, does this ever magically come together with the honey. I had no idea why the author of Wry Toast spent so much time talking about the honey in this recipe. Until.I.Tried.It… Savory, sweet, the richness of the goat cheese, tangy tomatoes, and the honey unifies the flavors in a unique and delightful way. Do you have those dishes you just want to bury your face in? This is it.
This galette was lovingly filled with yellow, orange and red tomatoes I picked up from the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market this weekend. Ahhh, a tomato rainbow. I felt like their beauty deserved to be framed, wrapped in love. What better than a galette. Summer’s gift in a light and crispy pastry. Now, that’s a gift worth giving.
Bon appetit mon amour….
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 4 shallots, diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 – 4 heirloom or variety of tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Start first by preparing the dough. Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into a small bowl and freeze for 10 minutes. While butter freezes, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the cold grated butter into the flour mixture until a mealy texture forms, then slowly add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough takes shape. Form the dough in a ball, transfer to a lightly floured surface, and shape into a flattened round. Tightly wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes until the dough is firm and cold.
- While the dough chills, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the diced shallots until lightly caramelized (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with flour. With a floured rolling-pin, roll out the chilled dough into a 1/8″ thick round and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. It's easiest to transfer the dough by rolling it onto the pin and then lifting it onto the baking sheet.
- Crumble the goat cheese over the rolled-out dough, leaving a 2-inch border along the edges. Drizzle a heavy serving of honey over goat cheese (don't be shy), then evenly top with caramelized shallots.
- Next, season the sliced tomatoes with salt & pepper and layer over the goat cheese and shallots. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and, finally, sprinkle with fresh thyme.
- Fold the 2-inch border of the dough over the edges of the tomatoes, then brush the crust with beaten egg.
- Bake the galette for 45-60 minutes until the crust is golden and the tomatoes have begun to char.
- Cool for a few minutes before serving.
