Fried Squash Blossoms, Y'all!

These will disappear quickly!
(There are 2 fried basil leaves on this plate also.)

I don’t eat lots of fried foods, but THIS is worth it!  Fried Squash Blossoms, Y’all!!

I had read about these in some of those dreaming about  living in Italy books I like to read. 

I have read different folks’ take on them, and here is how I like to make them.  As usual, this is not an exact recipe because I just don’t cook that way.  I’ll tell you what I do and you make changes as you see fit.

Fried squash blossoms make a great appetizer, but they need to be eaten soon after they’re cooked.  That means the people who you’re feeding need to be visiting with you in the kitchen or they won’t get any.  It’s sort of a rule.

This is a male blossom.
You want to leave a little stem on for a handle.

This is a female bloom of butternut squash. You can see the
tiny squash at the base of the flower.  

First, you need to know that there are male and female blooms.  The female blooms will have a tiny squash at the bottom.  When that bloom gets pollinated, that baby squash will grow.  The male blooms don’t have anything at the bottom.  The blooms you need for this dish are the male blooms.  You can use the female blooms too, but it will cost you a future squash.  But maybe you WANT less squash!  

Some folks say that zucchini blossoms are best, but I’ve tried blossoms from zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash, and I never can remember which plant they came from by the time I get back to the house, and they all taste good.  Some blooms are bigger than others is the main thing I’ve noticed.  

You have to pick these blooms in the morning while they are wide open and fresh.  Later in the day they will start closing and will get more fragile.  Do shake out any little bee or critter that’s inside. Just make sure you don’t pick all the male blooms or there won’t be anybody there to provide pollen.  Remember your biology class.  It is possible to save blooms in the fridge for a day or maybe two.  I do it by putting a paper towel in the bottom of a good sized plastic container and putting them in that.  I like an ice cream container for this because it doesn’t cause them to be crushed.

Next, you need to pick out the stamen from the middle of the bloom.  That’s the part that has the pollen on it.  Do this right away because it’s harder to do after it’s been in the fridge.  

Now decide if you want filling or no filling.  In Italy they do both.  In my house, I do filling because that’s the best part to me.  Besides the crunchy outside.

Filling: 

Some folks use ricotta cheese, but I prefer Greek yogurt because it has more tang and flavor so….

• Greek yogurt - a good teaspoonful for every blossom 
• salt and pepper
• Lemon zest or a little bit of good lemon or lime juice (zest is best)
• I also use some chopped fresh thyme.  Use any herb you have that you think will taste good.
• Basil is also a good choice.

         Taste it and adjust for salt.

Batter:

• plain flour (I use whole wheat.)
• salt and pepper
• baking soda - this makes the batter foam which makes it lighter
• IF you have it, sprinkle in a little citric acid (the stuff in the canning section that keeps fruit from turning brown.)  I think it makes things foam more, and it adds zing.  
• water
• vodka if you have it — just a splash or two

I know you’re wondering about the vodka!  Vodka is good to use in any batter or pie crust because the alcohol evaporates faster than water.  Wine doesn’t work well—or it didn’t the one time I tried it just to see.  I don’t know about beer.  I think the sugar part doesn’t work in this.  So buy you some cheap vodka.  I’ll give you some more reasons to use it another day.

Stir it and keep adding liquid until is thinner than pancake batter.  You want this to be a thin coating.  

Take your teaspoon and put a spoonful of filling in each blossom.  Sort of twist or just bring together the ends of the blossom.  

Heat your oil in a skillet.  It doesn’t have to be very deep at all, just a half inch or so. 

I put it on medium heat.  You want them to cook fairly quickly.  If they cook too slowly, the filling will get too melty.  

If I only have 6 or 7 to do, I use my medium skillet so it doesn’t require as much oil.  Now, I use olive oil for this because that’s what they use in Italy and because that’s what Mario Batalli would use.  If I were smarter, I would probably use another oil.  Use what you want to use.

Dip the blossoms one at a time in the batter holding by the stem.  Make sure it is coated completely and let some of the excess batter drip off.  Next, carefully lay it in the hot oil.  You want to hear lots of sizzling!  By the time you get 3 in the oil, it will be time to turn over the first one.  Make sure it’s brown on the edges.  Turn it very carefully because you don’t want to puncture the blossom.  When it’s brown on the other side, take out with a slotted spoon or spatula and put it on a wire rack to drain over paper towels.  

*You want to use some sort of rack when you fry things because it will stay crunchy on the bottom and not have a soggy bottom that way.  

Immediately sprinkle with salt while the oil is still wet.  I especially like to use Rosemary Salt !

Let cool just a little and divide them very, very evenly between you and your loved one.  Do not cheat and get more!  (Well, if you’re the cook you CAN legally get an extra one.  This is called “The Cook’s Share.”) 

If all went well, the outside will be crisp and the inside will be soft and just warm.  Some may drip down your chin.  That’s perfect!  

Eat well, y’all!