We gardeners may grouse good-naturedly about the heavy burden of zucchini exploding in our gardens right now – what to do with it all? But there’s one thing I’ll never complain about: that ephemeral prize, the zucchini blossom. Fruits and vegetables flower before they produce their edible yield, it’s just part of the cycle, and most of the time we watch the flowers come and go, waiting for the real harvest. But summer squash – not just zucchini but other varieties, too – have large, soft, cup-shaped blossoms that are just begging to be filled with silky homemade ricotta cheese, dipped in a light and fizzy batter, and briefly fried until they’re crispy on the outside and melty hot and bursting with creamy cheese on the inside. A quick dip in basil-laced marinara sauce adds more zesty summer flavor to these Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms.
When I say that squash blossoms are delicate and fleeting, I really mean it. If you’re going to be stuffing a filling into squash blossoms, you must pick as soon as the blossoms are fully open and while the petals are firm. If you’re buying from a farmer’s market, look for those qualities there, too. Don’t pick or buy blossoms that have passed this stage and closed up again into bud-like shapes, with petals that are soft and wilted – they’ll tear when you try to fill them. (Blossoms at this stage are OK for other recipes but not for stuffing.)
Once you get them home, divide the blossoms among several short glasses where they can stand upright without being crowded, and with the bottoms of their stems in water, just as you would any flower. Use them within a few hours – definitely the same day they’re picked.
Squash plants have male and female flowers. The female flowers are the ones that eventually grow into actual vegetables so you don’t want to pick those – you can identify female flowers from the tiny bulge of a growing squash at their base. Go for the male flowers, which grow on long, thin stems – coincidentally these make great handles for dipping stuffed blossoms into batter.
In the center of each male blossom is a stamen, which produces pollen. I like to remove the stamens before stuffing the blossoms – I use kitchen shears to reach into the center of the blossom and snip off the stamen close to its base, being careful not to tear the blossom.
Stuff the blossoms with the ricotta filling and gently twist the petals at the top to enclose the filling, but don’t worry if the petals don’t stay all the way closed at the top. Once you dip them, the batter will cling and hold everything together.
I’ve written this recipe to serve four, but it’s easy to double, or halve. I make half a batch for John and me – six blossoms is plenty for two people.
Fry up these stuffed zucchini blossoms right before serving – they should be eaten when they’re hot and crispy. Don’t keep leftovers.
To see this appetizer as part of a delicious, high-summer, Italian-themed menu, visit the post for Saturday July 18, 2020.
Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
Ingredients
- Neutral oil, such as expeller-pressed canola oil
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup minced basil
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 12 large zucchini blossoms, stamens removed
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- ¾ cup chilled seltzer or sparkling water
Directions
- Step 1 Pour enough oil into a 10-inch skillet to reach a depth of ½ inch and heat it over medium-high heat. Put the marinara sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Step 2 In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg yolk, basil, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the pepper, and a large pinch of kosher salt.
- Step 3 Carefully spoon the filling into the squash blossoms, using about 2 tablespoons of filling for each blossom. Twist the petals closed around the filling. Set the stuffed blossoms onto a small baking sheet lined with paper towel.
- Step 4 In another medium bowl, combine the flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan, and the seltzer. Whisk gently to combine the ingredients into a thin, smooth batter.
- Step 5 Test the oil by dropping a small amount of the batter in. If the oil sizzles and bubbles around the batter, it’s ready. Carefully dip one stuffed blossom into the batter, turning it to coat it evenly on all sides. Pick it up by the stem and lay it gently in the oil. Repeat with enough blossoms to fill the skillet without crowding. Fry the blossoms, turning once with tongs, until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes total. Remove the blossoms with the tongs and set them back on the paper towel-lined sheet.
- Step 6 Fry the remaining blossoms in batches. Sprinkle the hot blossoms with a little more kosher salt.
- Step 7 Serve with the warm marinara for dipping.
