“Aren’t you supposed to be eating rose petals and raindrops?” a wickedly direct teacher asked me once as I wolfed down some fried monstrosity, poking fun at me as a dancer with a decidedly un-ballerina-like diet.
There’s something undeniably attractive and mysterious about the idea of eating flower petals. We associate their lightness and transience with otherworldly beings, confining them to the realm of art rather than sustenance.
Yet the delicate orange blossoms that unfurl from the ends of squash and zucchini plants as they ripen cry out to be stuffed, steamed, sprinkled and savored in as many forms as possible during their brief but captivating appearance each summer.
Squash blossoms are used extensively in Mexican cooking, where you might find them tucked into quesadillas with poblano peppers and epazote, or served in chicken soup with onions and garlic. I ran into an effortlessly elegant woman at the farmers’ market who told me that if you stuff them and bake them in the oven, their petals turn almost translucent, like stained glass.
Perhaps the most classic Mediterranean presentation involves stuffing the flowers with mild cheese and herbs and frying them in a light batter to a golden crisp. It seems incongruous to fry something as wispy as flower petals, but the compact, twistable shape of these blossoms lends itself ideally to this preparation. A vinegary, garlicky tomato sauce and fresh herbs add brightness in both flavor and color to the dish.
Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Cheese and Herbs
8-10 squash (or zucchini) blossoms
2/3 cup goat cheese or ricotta
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, basil, mint, and/or cilantro) plus additional to garnish
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying
Breading
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
A few generous grinds of black pepper
2 tsp. dried herbs (thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, and/or whatever you have on hand)
¼ cup seltzer water
Tomato Sauce
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
Salt, black, and red pepper flakes to taste
1. In a medium bowl, mix the cheese, garlic, herbs, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Open each blossom enough to spoon in a tablespoon of filling (enough to fill them generously to within an inch of the tip). Alternatively, transfer the cheese mixture to a pastry bag or a large ziplock bag with a lower corner cut off) and “pipe” the cheese filling into the blossoms. When they are filled, twist the tops closed tightly.
2. Make the tomato sauce: mix the tomatoes, garlic vinegar, herbs, salt, and peppers in a saucepan and add ¼ cup water. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and have begun to fall apart. Remove from heat and puree in a blender food processer, or using an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside.
3. To prepare the breading batter, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, then gradually mix in the seltzer water with a fork, stirring constantly, to create a liquidy batter.
4. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan filled with ¼-inch of olive oil over medium-high heat. When droplets of water flicked into the oil sizzle upon impact, it is hot enough to begin frying. Turn the heat down to medium.
5. Dip each blossom in the batter and turn it from side to side to ensure that all surfaces are covered equally. Tap off any excess batter. Gently place each blossom in the hot oil with tongs. Fry without turning for about 90 seconds, until golden brown and crispy on the frying side. Rotate each blossom 1/3 of the way around and fry for another 60-90 seconds, until similarly golden. Turn each blossom the final third of the way around and fry for 60-90 seconds on the third side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.
6. Drizzle the tomato sauce over the blossoms and garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
