awesome blossom
August 25, 2008
If you are anything like me, you cringe at the sounds of those two words together that conjure up visions of places like Chili’s or TGIFridays with their large onion batter dipped, fried monstrosity of an appetizer, manipulated into looking like a flower. The only time one should be eating food like this is when their judgment is severely impaired (from alcohol). That kind of eating deserves a blog of it’s own.
Summer is the perfect time to get your hands on some zucchini blossoms aka fiori de zucca. These beautiful orange flowers actually grow off the top of the zucchini and have been popping up a lot on restaurants menus, especially Italian places, in the past couple years. Personally, I love, love, love them. Stuffed, battered and fried, one usually can’t go wrong. It’s like someone on Top Chef using bacon as an ingredient. Nothing shocking here.
When I was in Rome last spring, it was one of the best items I had and could be found on bar menus and fine dining menus. Some versions we had were ricotta cheese and mozzarella stuffed with speck, which is like pancetta. These felt more like the national jalapeno popper. Another version was the good old ricotta herb stuffed version, which was more delicate. Both were lightly batter dipped and quick fried, sans bread crumbs. The ones I have had at Mozza Pizzeria are not that great. I find them to be overly greasy or cooked in the same oil one too many times. Yes, that seems like a contradiction since they are deep fried but some of the best tempura actually is light and non-greasy tasting.
I did try some different version at a couple places on a recent trip to Sonoma and was much more impressed. After attempting to finally make these myself, I can appreciate ordering them from any restaurant. They are a pain. I will not lie. I cheated a bit and the end product was well worth the effort but I will definitely appreciate them more the next time I see them on a menu.
This was part of an ambitious Sunday supper I made for my lucky boyfriend. We started with the zucchini blossoms and had fresh gnocchi with a ham and pea cream sauce. There’s no better way to wind down the weekend but with a delicious seasonal home cooked meal.
Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Sungold tomatoes and garden pesto
serves 4-6 as a starter
Ingredients:
10-12 blossoms - purchased at Farmer’s market
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c finely grated sharp white cheddar or mozzarella
1/2 small shallot, minced
2 tsp finely chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper
about 15 Sungold tomatoes, halved
homemade garden pesto for drizzling
For Tempura Batter:
1 egg
1 c ice cold water
1 c all purpose flour, sifted
2 1/2 c of canola oil for frying
optional flair:
4 oz. Pancetta ends
The only reason this is under “optional” is for any vegetarians that dare read my site. I do care.
Directions:
Render the pancetta or bacon like substance of your choice in a bit of oil and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Rinse and drain flowers on a tea towel. The stamen will need to be removed. You can try to do this without breaking the petals or you can be like me and just tear a slit down one side of the petals and you will stuff them later like tacos. Since the filling is sticky the petal will stick to it.
In a small bowl, combine the cheese, shallots and parsley and season to taste. Start gently filling the blossoms and wrapping the petals around the filling.
Heat up the oil in a saucepan or your deep fryer. (I proudly do not have one. It would be too dangerous if I did.) If heating on the stove I turned it to medium and allow it to heat up Smoking oil is no fun.
For the tempura batter, beat the egg and add the ice water. Sift the flour into the bowl and lightly stir it. It is important to not overmix the batter.
Test if the oil is ready by dropping in a tiny droplet of batter. If it cooks up golden, quickly, and floats up, it’s ready. If not adjust the heat.
Dip each flower into the batter and gently lower it into the hot oil. They only need about 3-4 minutes each. I use chopsticks for this task. A small straining net would work as well. Once they are golden in color, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Fry in small batches as to not crowd them. These should be fried right before serving.
Plating:
You can serve this as is, but you know how I love one upping things. I plated them with seasonal Sungold tomatoes, creating a nest for the flowers to lay on. Sprinkle with the rendered pancetta and lastly drizzle the edges with a ring of fresh garden basil pesto.
Wallflour Tips:
Zucchini flowers - These are sold at specialty produce markets during summer. Sometimes they are still attached to the baby sized zucchini. If so, leave it intact and fry the whole thing. 8 flowers cost me about $2.50. I would buy more than you think you need. Due to their delicate nature, you are bound to lose one or two in the stuffing process and another one in the frying process.
Pancetta ends- I get these at Whole Foods or Bristol Farms. I cut them up finely. If you can find pre-cut pancetta that would be easier.
Sometimes, Trader Joe’s has it. Prosciutto crisps would be great too. Rendering this kind of chewy meat changes the texture to be easier to eat with something delicate like this or on salads.
If you are anything like me, you cringe at the sounds of those two words together that conjure up visions of places like Chili’s or TGIFridays with their large onion batter dipped, fried monstrosity of an appetizer, manipulated into looking like a flower. The only time one should be eating food like this is when their judgment is severely impaired (from alcohol). That kind of eating deserves a blog of it’s own.
Summer is the perfect time to get your hands on some zucchini blossoms aka fiori de zucca. These beautiful orange flowers actually grow off the top of the zucchini and have been popping up a lot on restaurants menus, especially Italian places, in the past couple years. Personally, I love, love, love them. Stuffed, battered and fried, one usually can’t go wrong. It’s like someone on Top Chef using bacon as an ingredient. Nothing shocking here.
When I was in Rome last spring, it was one of the best items I had and could be found on bar menus and fine dining menus. Some versions we had were ricotta cheese and mozzarella stuffed with speck, which is like pancetta. These felt more like the national jalapeno popper. Another version was the good old ricotta herb stuffed version, which was more delicate. Both were lightly batter dipped and quick fried, sans bread crumbs. The ones I have had at Mozza Pizzeria are not that great. I find them to be overly greasy or cooked in the same oil one too many times. Yes, that seems like a contradiction since they are deep fried but some of the best tempura actually is light and non-greasy tasting.
I did try some different version at a couple places on a recent trip to Sonoma and was much more impressed. After attempting to finally make these myself, I can appreciate ordering them from any restaurant. They are a pain. I will not lie. I cheated a bit and the end product was well worth the effort but I will definitely appreciate them more the next time I see them on a menu.
This was part of an ambitious Sunday supper I made for my lucky boyfriend. We started with the zucchini blossoms and had fresh gnocchi with a ham and pea cream sauce. There’s no better way to wind down the weekend but with a delicious seasonal home cooked meal.
Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Sungold tomatoes and garden pesto
serves 4-6 as a starter
Ingredients:
10-12 blossoms - purchased at Farmer’s market
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c finely grated sharp white cheddar or mozzarella
1/2 small shallot, minced
2 tsp finely chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper
about 15 Sungold tomatoes, halved
homemade garden pesto for drizzling
For Tempura Batter:
1 egg
1 c ice cold water
1 c all purpose flour, sifted
2 1/2 c of canola oil for frying
optional flair:
4 oz. Pancetta ends
The only reason this is under “optional” is for any vegetarians that dare read my site. I do care.
Directions:
Render the pancetta or bacon like substance of your choice in a bit of oil and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Rinse and drain flowers on a tea towel. The stamen will need to be removed. You can try to do this without breaking the petals or you can be like me and just tear a slit down one side of the petals and you will stuff them later like tacos. Since the filling is sticky the petal will stick to it.
In a small bowl, combine the cheese, shallots and parsley and season to taste. Start gently filling the blossoms and wrapping the petals around the filling.
Heat up the oil in a saucepan or your deep fryer. (I proudly do not have one. It would be too dangerous if I did.) If heating on the stove I turned it to medium and allow it to heat up Smoking oil is no fun.
For the tempura batter, beat the egg and add the ice water. Sift the flour into the bowl and lightly stir it. It is important to not overmix the batter.
Test if the oil is ready by dropping in a tiny droplet of batter. If it cooks up golden, quickly, and floats up, it’s ready. If not adjust the heat.
Dip each flower into the batter and gently lower it into the hot oil. They only need about 3-4 minutes each. I use chopsticks for this task. A small straining net would work as well. Once they are golden in color, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Fry in small batches as to not crowd them. These should be fried right before serving.
Plating:
You can serve this as is, but you know how I love one upping things. I plated them with seasonal Sungold tomatoes, creating a nest for the flowers to lay on. Sprinkle with the rendered pancetta and lastly drizzle the edges with a ring of fresh garden basil pesto.
Wallflour Tips:
Zucchini flowers - These are sold at specialty produce markets during summer. Sometimes they are still attached to the baby sized zucchini. If so, leave it intact and fry the whole thing. 8 flowers cost me about $2.50. I would buy more than you think you need. Due to their delicate nature, you are bound to lose one or two in the stuffing process and another one in the frying process.
Pancetta ends- I get these at Whole Foods or Bristol Farms. I cut them up finely. If you can find pre-cut pancetta that would be easier.
Sometimes, Trader Joe’s has it. Prosciutto crisps would be great too. Rendering this kind of chewy meat changes the texture to be easier to eat with something delicate like this or on salads.
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