Fried Zucchini Flowers
You May Know Them As
“Squash Blossoms”
Full Recipe Video:
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
16 oz. tomato sauce (see recipe: How to Doctor Store Brand Red Sauce)
12 zucchini flowers
Olive oil
Filling:
4-5 tbsp. pecorino Romano; grated
16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
Fresh parsley; minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
Batter:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3-4 oz. club soda
Batter: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, club soda, and salt. Mix until it’s a pancake batter consistency and set aside.
Filling: In a separate large mixing bowl, whip ricotta with a spoon until creamy and smooth. Add pecorino Romano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and incorporate into ricotta.
Stuffing the flowers: Remove the stems (they pop off easily). Discard. Gently open the flower petals and remove pistil (center of flower) and discard. The petals will feel very fragile, but you can gently peel them open, and the pistil should pop out very easily. Fill a pastry bag (or, if you don’t have one, use a plastic Ziploc bag with a bottom corner cut off) with the ricotta mixture and pipe into the middle of the flower until full, but not overflowing from the petals. Repeat until each blossom is stuffed.
Gently dip stuffed blossoms into flour batter, coating all sides. Set side on a plate and prepare to fry.
Coat a large frying pan generously with olive oil. Set of medium heat. When pan is hot, place flowers into oil without overcrowding the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides, flipping with tongs.
Remove fried blossoms from oil and place on a plate with a paper towel so oil drains. To serve, spoon a layer of tomato sauce onto your plate, and serve 2-3 blossoms per serving.
Notes:
Squash blossoms/Zucchini flowers might be difficult to find at commercial grocery stores. Certain local stores might carry them if they have a robust produce section, but you’re probably better off finding them at farm stands or farmers markets. Or you can usually order them from any place that supplies restaurants. Typically these are a summer produce.
GoodCooking’s Picks:
Favorite store brand red sauces: Trader Joe’s Arrabbiata Sauce, Rao’s Marinara or Arrabbiata
Tools:
