Ever since I've been gardening, I've always grown zucchini and yellow summer squash and its a shame to let those big beautiful blossoms just sit there and look pretty. Mind you, they are beautiful flowers and appealing for the eyes to gaze upon. However, they're even better stuffed, batter-dipped and fried. Some may have a problem eating edible flowers, and if you fall in that group, I say go for it! Personally I love growing flowers and you can find me in my yard tending to them or just sitting on the patio enjoying the displayed beauty. But then again, I LOVE to cook, and in this case I had to combine the two. No regrets, just happiness...even more-so.
Served with orzo, and a fresh red bell pepper sauce & pesto
So delicately delicious
Picked fresh squash (zucchini) blossoms this morning
I also picked a few of these little sweet red peppers...giving them a char for the red pepper sauce
Let them sweat it out a bit in order to remove the skins. Next, gave them a rough chop and added them to my mini mixer with a little sauteed garlic and shallots dash of salt and pepper... and chicken broth to the desired consistency
Zucchini blossoms are very delicate and will only last a day or so after picking them, so you'll want to get going on this recipe right away. Got the blossoms ready by removing the stamens, and made sure they're clean inside, gave them a rinse under cold water along with the basil. I made a pesto with the basil by processing it along with a little garlic, a little Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Some pine nuts would have been great, but none were found in the cupboards. It was still very tasty just the same
Getting the cheese filling ready--mixed cream cheese with a blend of Queso Quesadilla, Asadero, Queso Gallego, Manchego & Anejo Enchilada Cheeses. I know, I know, not your usual suspects of ricotta, fresh mozzarella, or other soft cheeses and Parmesan for this dish, but I had to use what I had on hand, and that was a nice Mexican blend. I say use what you have or what your palate desires. I love smoked salmon, so I minced some of that in there along with some fresh cracked black pepper. I didn't add any salt---the cheese blend took care of that. Dropped one egg yolk in there and mixed well
Stuffed to the gills and ready for the frying pan
Fry till golden
A delicate platter indeed with a lovely subtle taste. The pesto sauce was really nice with the squash blossoms. Garnished with fresh basil and oregano leaves
And the red pepper sauce worked great with the orzo
And the fork worked great for me. Dig In!
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