Summer Squash Blossoms~ 3 Ways
For some of us (the lucky ones) Summer squash blossom season is already upon us. Also called zucchini flowers, other varieties bloom for cool season winter squashes too. They are the edible flowers of the plant and typically come in beautiful yellow and orange shades such as these.
Squash blossoms are soft, delicate, and taste mildly like the squash itself. Whether lightly battered and fried, raw chopped and tossed with fresh pasta, in a summer golden blossom soup, or made into delectable little tostada appetizers— these are a real summery treat and special find! Look for them in your next Farmer’s Market outing. These beauties are from the local Sunday farmers market in La Jolla, California grown from Valdivia Farms in Carlsbad.
I’ve put together 3 relatively Quick & Easy recipes for your Summer Squash Blossoms (and of course all gluten-free).
The first- little “tostadas” as excellent appetizers en dos maneras, in two ways, Sweet and Savoury. The sweet version combines chopped raw blossoms with strawberries and heirloom tomatoes to offer a juicy, summery mouth explosion of flavor. A great way to wake up the palate as an amuse bouche. The savoury versions again used chopped raw blossoms, but adds in raw earthy flavors of raw diced mushrooms, rich smoky paprika, and the citrusy-woody flavors of chamomile.
Lastly, ricotta stuffed squash blossoms lightly battered and fried. Using cassava flour (or rice flour) allows for light and crispy coating of the squash. You don’t want a thick, strong tasting batter that will detract from the delicate taste of the blossoms (so avoid beer-battered and wheat flour recipes). My batter also calls for using a combo of natural sparkling spring water and baking soda to create the perfect batter texture (or substitute with club soda or seltzer water and reduce your amount of baking soda). Stuff your blossoms with a mixture of fresh ricotta, piquant romano cheese, and heaps of fresh basil chiffonade. Serve with some sea salt after frying -or- drizzle some garlicky chimmichurri or spicy-honey for a dessert option!
Let me know if you try and share your dishes with us using #culinaryinterlude
Let’s get cookin’!
Yield: 12
Summer Squash Blossom Tostadas- dos maneras
Prep time: Cook time: Total time:
Ingredients:
Sweet
- 3 zucchini blossoms raw chopped
- 1/2 cup strawberries, small dice
- 1 yellow heirloom tomato, small dice
- 6 basil leaves, chopped finely
- 3 tsp. aged balsamic
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup goat cheese, softened
- sea salt
- Mary's Black Pepper Gluten-Free Crackers
Savoury
- 3 zucchini blossoms raw chopped
- 1 raw portobello mushroom, small dice
- 1/2 raw zucchini, small dice
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 cup tomatillo green salsa
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp. dried chamomile flowers (optional)
- Mary's Black Pepper Gluten-Free Crackers
Instructions:
- For the Sweet tostadas- small dice your strawberries and yellow tomato, finely chop your raw zucchini blossoms and basil and add to a medium sized bowl. Add in your balsamic, olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt and mix together. To serve, smear your goat cheese on each cracker and top with your mix.
- For the Savoury tostadas- First mix together your "marinade," the tomatillo green salsa, sesame oil, smoked paprika, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and cracked pepper. Next add your raw diced vegetables and zucchini blossoms, mix together and let rest for at least 5 minutes. To serve, top each cracker with your savoury mixture and finish with dried chamomile flowers.
Yield: 8
Ricotta stuffed Squash Blossoms
Prep time: 15 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 30 M
Ingredients:
- 12-18 Squash Blossoms (look for larger in size)
- 1 cup Cassava flour or rice flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup natural sparkling water
- sea salt
- 2-3 cups olive oil
Cheese Stuffing
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- 1/4 cup pecorino romano
- 1 tbsp. raw garlic chopped
- 1 cup Fresh basil, chiffonade
- sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions:
- Mix together cheese stuffing ingredients.
- Gently hold open the squash blossom petals in one hand (or have a partner help) and spoon in your cheese mixture. Fold the petals back up and over the filling and spin/twist the tops of the petals to secure. Repeat this process with all of your squash blossoms before frying.
- For the batter, combine the cassava flour, sea salt, and baking powder and whisk to combine. Slowly add in your sparkling water, whisking until the consistency is no longer too thick but before it has thinned out to a drip consistency.
- Preheat your olive oil in a pan to 375 F (it should not be smoking!)
- Add your stuffed blossoms one at a time to your batter and coat on all sides. Gently add to your oil (without crowding the pan- fry 4-6 blossoms at a time). Fry until golden brown on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- With a slotted spoon, gently remove from the frying oil onto paper towel to drain. Finish with sea salt and continue frying your remaining blossoms.
- Serve as is or drizzle with a spicy-honey or a garlicky chimmichurri!
