Stuffed and Fried Zucchini Blossoms

I could not make up my mind. I was so thrilled to wake up to zucchini blossoms ready for picking - I wanted to do everything you said. Ciao Chow Linda stuffs them with mozzarella and a little anchovy (creamy-salty - I'm hooked). Barbara from Dish 'n That said gorgonzola (pungent rich, earthy cheese paired with a blossom - yes, I'll have a few of those). Pat from Mille Fiori Favoriti sent me to Marcella Hazan who simply fried them - and I am a sucker for simplicity where the ingredient shines.

In the end, I took everyone's advice but substituted the cheeses I had at hand. I stuffed them with ricotta and freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (a few turns in the grater for the mixture and a little chunk just for me). And you all advised fried. And fried it was.

I left the blossoms out for the afternoon (hoping most critters would make their exit). You can soak them in cold water in the sink. The zucchini blossoms are stronger than you think although you don't want to roughhouse with them too much. I did tear one (but stuffed and ate it anyway). I opened up the zucchini blossoms and with small scissors I cut away the piston. After doing that, I wiped them clean with a damp paper towel.

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Stuffing Mixture - for 8 small-medium zucchini blossoms

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1/4 cup freshy grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

1 egg

Pinch of salt (I used a preserved lemon salt because I could) - sea salt, or Kosher salt

1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter

1 baby zucchini minced

1 garlic clove minced

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Coating:

1/3 cup seltzer water or club soda

1/4 cup flour (I used the "00" flour given graciously to me from The Sausage Debauchery. I wanted to keep the coating light and it was.

A pinch of salt if using seltzer

Canola and olive oil for frying

Mix the club soda and flour and watch it foam. The club soda (or seltzer) also helps to keep the coating light..
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Whip ricotta, egg, Parmigiano and salt till creamy. In a small skillet melt your butter. Lightly saute your baby zucchini and garlic. 30-45 seconds is all you need. Fold it into the ricotta mixture. Allow some of the butter to drip into the batter!

Many sites advise using a pastry bag and piping the mixture into the blossom. I used a very small spoon. Really small. Tiny. In fact, I have no idea as to how that tiny spoon made its way into my kitchen. Use a small meauring spoon.

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In a small-medium skillet, add a combination of canola oil and olive until it is about 1-1/2 inches deep. The canola oil keeps it just a wee bit lighter and lowers the flash point. Heat the oil on medium high. It is ready when you put a drop of the flour-club soda mixture in and it instantly sizzles.

Dip your stuffed zucchini into the flour/club soda mixture and let all excess drip back into the bowl. Fry your stuffed zucchini 45 seconds to one minute per side. My daughter likes them crisp and browned all over. I like just the tips browned to a crisp. Next time I make these I will need to ask who likes their blossoms rare, medium rare or well-done! Drain on paper towels.

The fried blossom was mellow and sweet. The creamy filling was just a wee bit pungent. A delicate contrast. We lapped them up like candy. All asked for more. My family is ready to plant a zucchini field just for more blossoms.
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The only problem was ....

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I had mixture leftover. Which I could have saved for some more blossoms (but you know I need to try the mozzarella/anchovy mixture and the gorgonzola ones and just fry some plain). And am thinking burrata would be an indulgent stuffing. So what to do with the ricotta mixture?

I took out my puff pastry shells that have been in the freezer for a while. Baked them. Sauteed a few minced portabella mushrooms. Added the leftover ricotta mixture and lightly cooked it to cook the egg. When the puff pastry was ready, I stuffed the warm puff pastry with the now "ricotta-mushroom" mixture and that was our second appetizer.
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The only problem was....

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I had used up the mixture but now had some extra puff pastry shells. So, I went back to the fridge where I had 8 ounces of ricotta cheese left. I added 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make a cannoli mixture. I sliced the puff pastry in half and added the cannoli mixture in the middle and on top. I added berries everywhere until they fell on to the plate. I dusted with way too much confectioners sugar. And ...

... had nothing leftover.

My blog is a journey with food as a catalyst. Food sustains life. It fuels relationships. It is healing, reaching for the stars, celebratory and present at all milestones - the supremely happy ones and the challenging ones.

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Food ties me to my heritage, to those who've left the world and is a way of reaching to those who will come in the future - even when I am gone. What Grandma gave me has been given to my children. It is a way of introducing them to each other. When we as strangers share with each other, we offer something of ourselves. And in the process, we are not strangers anymore.

Zucchini