Battered Squash Blossoms With Or Without Stuffing Recipes

OVEN ROASTED STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat; add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chard and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add basil, salt, and pepper, and cook until basil is soft, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Place cooled chard mixture between 2 towels and press to remove excess moisture.
• Stir chevre and chard mixture together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Fill zucchini blossoms about 3/4 full with the goat chevre mixture, and pinch the ends closed. Place filled blossoms in a roasting pan; drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast in the preheated oven until blossoms are hot, about 10 minutes.

SQUASH BLOSSOMS STUFFED WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Make tomato sauce:
• Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 2-quarts heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, water, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Prepare squash blossoms:
• Stir together ricotta, yolk, mint, 1/3 cup parmesan, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
• Carefully open each blossom and fill with about 2 rounded teaspoon ricotta filling, gently twisting end of blossom to enclose filling. (You may have filling left over.)
• Whisk together flour, remaining 1/3 cup parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and seltzer in a small bowl.
• Heat 1/2 inch oil to 375°F in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Meanwhile, dip half of blossoms in batter to thinly coat. Fry coated blossoms, turning once, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry remaining blossoms. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Season with salt. Serve with tomato sauce.

FRIED STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice-cold water. Drop squash blossoms into the boiling water until slightly wilted, 30 to 45 seconds; transfer immediately into the cold water to chill. Remove to paper towels to drain.
• Mix goat cheese, egg yolk, Gruyere cheese, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl; stir until smooth. Spoon filling into a heavy, resealable 1-quart plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the bag. Cut a small corner off the bag.
• Gently insert the cut corner of the bag all the way to the bottom of the open end of a blossom and pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling inside. Pick up petals and drape them up over the filling, covering filling completely. Fold any excess petals over the top of the filled blossom to keep them out of the way. Refrigerate filled squash blossoms until cheese is set and firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Combine self-rising flour and cornstarch in a mixing bowl; whisk in ice-cold water, a little at a time, until batter is smooth and has the thickness of pancake batter.
• Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch into a heavy skillet (such as a cast iron pan) and place over medium heat. Heat oil until a thermometer placed into the oil, not touching the bottom, reads 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). A drop of batter carefully dripped into the oil should sizzle immediately.
• Remove squash blossoms from refrigerator and dust lightly with all-purpose flour on all sides. Shake off excess flour and dip blossoms in batter. Let excess batter drip off.
• Gently lay coated squash blossoms in the hot oil on their sides; cook about 6 at a time until pale golden brown, 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds to 1 minute on the remaining sides. Let cool slightly before serving.

STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat. Heat about 4 inches of oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over direct heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.
• Combine the ricotta, parsley and lemon zest in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of the filling into each zucchini blossom, sealing them by bringing the petals up around the filling and giving them a little twist.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper, then dredge the blossoms first in the flour, then in the eggs and then again in the flour, being sure to shake off any excess flour.
• Working in batches if needed, carefully drop the blossoms into the oil. (Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.) Cook until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the blossoms to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season lightly with sea salt. Serve immediately.
• (Alternatively, you can fry the blossoms over medium-high heat on a stovetop.)

BATTER FRIED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Blend milk, egg, flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper with a fork; beat the batter until smooth.
• Place flattened squash blossoms in batter, stir gently; allow 10 minute soaking time.
• Heat oil in a cast iron skillet until hot; fry batter coated blossoms until golden; turn once, drain on paper towels, place on plate and garnish.

STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the herbs, shallot and cheese.
• Open up the individual blossoms wide enough to insert a teaspoonful of cheese mixture. Do not overfill or fried blossoms will be soggy. Twist the ends of the blossom together gently. Note: there will probably be leftover of the cheese mixture but never fear, it is absolutely delicious spread on a bagel in the morning.
• In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs together with 1/4 cup milk. In a separate medium bowl, mix together masa harina, salt, and pepper. Dip each blossom into the egg mixture and then roll quickly and evenly in the masa harina mixture, gently shaking off excess. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a small shallow saucepan or skillet. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Deep-fry the blossoms in batches until they begin to turn light golden brown, turning to cook evenly. Drain on baking rack set over paper towels, and serve immediately.

BATTER FRIED STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Place ricotta cheese in a double layer of cheesecloth. Tie up ends, and hang over a bowl to drain. Place in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly add milk to the flour mixture, whisking constantly, until the batter has a slightly thickened and very smooth consistency; set aside.
• Remove ricotta from the cheesecloth, and discard the liquid. In another medium bowl, stir together drained ricotta, mozzarella, marjoram, and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Gently open the flower petals and, using a small spoon, fill a blossom about 2/3 full with the ricotta mixture. Wrap the petals around the mixture to seal. Using your fingers, gently press the blossom to distribute filling evenly. Repeat, filling all the blossoms.
• In a small saucepan fitted with a deep-frying thermometer, heat olive oil over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Place the stuffed blossoms in the reserved batter until completely coated. Lift out, and gently drag the blossom against the edge of the bowl to remove excess batter. Carefully slip as many blossoms into the hot oil as will comfortably fit without crowding. Fry the blossoms until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, and transfer to several layers of paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt, and serve immediately.

BATTERED SQUASH BLOSSOMS (WITH OR WITHOUT STUFFING) RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the batter first. Sift together dry ingredients, then whisk in milk, beer or cold water until smooth. Cover and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Leftover batter can be stored for up to two days. If it is too thick after refrigeration, add a few drops of water to return to original consistency. 2. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, mushrooms and basil. Open the blossoms and spoon about one 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each. Avoid overfilling the blossoms. Twist the top of each blossom together to close. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 3. Pour the oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over high heat until a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown within seconds. 4. Briefly dip each stuffed blossom into the batter, then carefully slip into the hot oil. Cook until golden on all sides, about three minutes total cooking time. Add only as many blossoms at a time as will fit comfortably in the skillet. Transfer with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain briefly. 5. Sprinkle with salt, if desired and serve immediately. NOTE: In place of the cheese-mushroom stuffing, try another of your favorite bread or meat stuffings.