This story is super pretentious, but bear with me. My love for zucchini blossoms blossomed on the last night of my first trip to Italy. I was in Rome, dining with two women with whom I'd just spent a week at a Tuscan cooking school, and we were celebrating our final night before we were to fly off to our respective homes the next morning--Anne back to the UK, Sandra to Australia, and I to the States. We'd just concluded a weeklong culinary holiday in Tuscany, shopping local farmers' markets and preparing stupendous meals, and in between, touring ancient walled cities and historic churches.
Since all of our flights were out of Rome, we took the train down from Tuscany just in time for one last dinner together. We settled on a little trattoria in an out-of-the-way neighborhood, and that's where I spotted them on the menu: fried, stuffed zucchini blossoms. I'd seen them in cookbooks previously, but never had encountered them at home. When they arrived on a plate in front of me, I was smitten. They were simply beautiful--crisp, lightly battered and fried, and stuffed with a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese, with a hint of anchovy. They had the faint taste of zucchini, but were light and airy in texture. What a perfect dinner to end a perfect week in Italy.
Their flavor remained in my taste memory for years, and I sought them out at restaurants at home and on my travels, to little avail. Todd even tried growing zucchini in his garden, just so I could harvest the blossoms as they appeared, but our soil wasn't right for growing them, and they never quite took root.
Then, last month, while wandering through the stalls at Eastern Market, I stumbled upon a gorgeous, golden pile of zucchini blossoms at the Brother Nature stand. Located on Rosa Parks Boulevard near Temple, Brother Nature has two acres of organically-grown produce, from salad greens to flowers to herbs. I quickly snatched up a bag of blossoms and began experimenting in the kitchen. Success! My first attempt at fried stuffed zucchini blossoms tasted almost like those I had at that out-of-the-way trattoria many years ago. My return trip to Brother Nature this past weekend was just as productive, and I repeated them for dinner one night this week. Alas, this will likely be my last dalliance with the beautiful blossoms until next year. I have a tendency to overdo certain dishes to the point of getting sick of them. I don't want that to happen with these. However, should you care to give them a try, here's my recipe:
Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
12-14 zucchini/squash blossoms
Batter:
2 c. flour
1/4 c. corn starch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 c. sparking water or light beer (i.e., not dark beer--I used Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beers, 'cause I'm classy that way and that's all we had in the house)
Filling:
2 c. fresh bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil leaves
4-6 anchovy filets, chopped
1/4 c. grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Trim the blossoms, removing any long stems or blemished petals. If the blossoms are still closed, gently open them. Rinse thoroughly (dirt and/or bugs can sometimes be trapped inside the blossoms), and dry gently in a salad spinner. Set aside while you prepare the batter.
For the batter, combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the sparkling water or beer, to make a batter the consistency of pancake batter. Set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling and stuff the blossoms.
For the filling, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, basil, anchovy, cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle olive oil slowly over the mixture, until it begins to hold together (you might not use the entire amount of oil)
Gently stuff each blossom with approximately 1 teaspoon of the filling. Depending on the size of your blossoms, you may end up with some extra filling, which is delicious sauteed in a pan and sprinkled over pasta and sauce.
Fill a deep saucepan (I used a 2-quart) with approximately 1-1/2 inches of vegetable oil, and heat to 350 degrees (or, until a small bread cube--use a small piece from the filling if you have some left--browns within a few seconds). Dip a stuffed blossom into the batter, which you've removed from the refrigerator, and place gently into the oil. You should be able to fit about 4 blossoms into the pan at a time. Fry until golden, flipping over, as necessary, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired.
Makes 12-14 blossoms. I recommend two per person as an appetizer, three or four if serving as an entree with side dishes (e.g., pasta, vegetable, etc.).
For more information on Brother Nature Produce, search for them on Facebook.
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