Summer in Bloom
Fried Zucchini Blossoms
Growing up, we never had our own garden. Everyone else in our neighborhood did. Every summer Aunt Giulia, Gemma and Philomena supplied us with a full stash of zucchini blossoms. To batter fry the flowers, my mom used the same batter for frying eggplant and never stuffed the flowers with mozzarella. I thought everyone ate flowers.Years later, she happily fried flowers for our bakery lunches, eager to introduce the idea of eating flowers to anyone willing to try.
My friend Tom started using another batter recipe he pulled directly from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. I began to use this recipe too. This batter is definitely lighter than Cori’s. Some summer days it’s a pain to break out the hand mixer, but whipping the egg whites separately makes the batter much lighter. Over the years, I have fried every type of flower in the zucca ( squash) family; summer squash, zucchini, pumpkin and butternut squash are all equally delicious. The pumpkin may be the sweetest. I must admit that although we love zucchini itself, we plant it just for the flowers. Such a simple treat, a summer ritual and a perfect appetizer.
Tips: Male flowers will not have a small zucchini attached. Look for these and don’t pick the female blossoms that have a tiny zucchini attached if you want a zucchini harvest, too.
Pick flowers in the morning when they are open. Be sure there are no bees or other insects inside. We only have a few plants and we’ll pick a few flowers every morning. Brush off with a damp towel to clean. Store in a plastic bag in refrigerator until you have enough for frying. If you are not planting zucchini, look for flowers at your local farmers market.
If you are lucky enough to have a friend like Tom that you love to cook with, make it team zucchini. Mixing, stuffing, frying, sweating and indulging is always more fun when together in the kitchen. I will stuff, twist, dip into batter, and he will flip in the oil, then drain. Edgar pours the drinks.
FRIED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS( batter adapted from The Joy of Cooking cookbook)
Serves 3- 4
10 to 12 zucchini flowers
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
Pinch of salt and pepper
3 eggs, separated
10 to 12 cubes of mozzarella ( about 8 ounces)
Vegetable oil for frying
In a medium mixing bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix egg yolks, flour, milk, salt and pepper until light and smooth.
Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.
In a heavy bottomed pan or skillet heat 2 inches of oil to 350 F.
Stuff each flower with a cube of mozzarella. Carefully dip into batter then into hot oil. I twist the top of the flower slightly as I dip it into the batter to help hold the mozzarella in the flower. Fry, flipping once until golden brown. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Drain on absorbent paper.
Sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.
If I have extra batter, I’ll grab an onion, slice into rings and make a few onion rings, for a fritto misto. Batter is also easily doubled for larger batches.
Female Zucchini Blossoms with Zucchini