Fried Baby Zucchini With Cheese Stuffed Blossoms Recipes

FRIED CHEESE-STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, water and salt until smooth. Set aside.
• In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, basil, and green onion. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons filling into each blossom. Close the blossoms and gently twist the petals to seal.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 1 minute.) Dip the stuffed zucchini blossoms in the batter and allow any excess batter to drip off. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Allow the cooked blossoms to drain on paper towels.
• Season with salt and serve with your favorite marinara sauce or vinaigrette.

FRIED BABY ZUCCHINI WITH CHEESE-STUFFED BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Keeping blossoms attached to zucchini, carefully open blossoms and remove pistil from each. Trim stem ends of zucchini, then, beginning 1/4 inch from blossom end, cut a 2-inch slit lengthwise through center of each zucchini, ending 1/4 inch from stem end (slits will help zucchini cook evenly).
• Stir together cheeses, yolk, and oregano in a small bowl until combined well, then season with pepper. Gently open each blossom and fill with 1 to 2 rounded teaspoons of cheese mixture (depending on size of blossoms), then gently twist end of blossom to enclose filling. (You may have leftover filling, depending on size of blossoms.)
• Heat 1/3 inch oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet until it registers 360°F on thermometer (see cooks' note, below), then fry zucchini (with blossoms attached) in 2 batches, turning once, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 360°F between batches.) Serve zucchini warm or at room temperature.

CRISP ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cover 3/4 tablespoon of the sumac with 1 tablespoon of boiling water and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Add both types of cheese, oregano, walnuts, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a generous grind of pepper. Mix well.
• Fill the flowers by carefully opening them and either spooning or piping about a tablespoon of the ricotta mixture into each, gently pushing the filling all the way to the bottom of each blossom but being careful not to fill them too much; if you can get someone to hold the flower open for you, it would make it much easier. Gently twist the tips of the petals to secure the filling inside and set aside until you're ready to fry.
• Pour enough oil into a medium (about 8-inch/20-centimeter) nonstick frying pan so that the oil rises about 1 inch/2 centimeters up the sides of the pan. Place on a high heat for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down a fraction.
• Meanwhile, mix the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Slowly pour in the sparkling water, whisking continuously to form a smooth batter.
• When bubbles start to surface in the oil, test it by dropping some batter into the oil: if it sizzles, you are ready. (The oil should hover between 320 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit/160 and 180 degrees Celsius.)
• Lower a zucchini blossom into the batter, turning to coat completely, before carefully placing in the hot oil. Repeat, cooking a few blossoms at a time, adjusting the temperature between batches so they take about 30 seconds on each side to turn a golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and then sprinkle with salt and the remaining 1/4 tablespoon sumac. Serve at once with the lemon wedges alongside.

FRIED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat about 2" oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl, then whisk in beer until almost smooth (some small lumps are welcome-don't overwhisk or you'll deflate the batter). One by one, dredge the blossoms in batter, shaking off the excess; gently lay them in the oil, without crowding the pan. Cook, flipping once with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with sea salt and devour while hot.
• Variation #1:
• For an even lighter, crispier crust, fold 3 stiffly beaten egg whites into batter and proceed as above.
• Variataion #2:
• Stuffed blossoms are a favorite in Italy. To fill about 16, combine 1 cup ricotta, 1 tablespoon freshly chopped mint, and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest in a bowl. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a spoon, fill each blossom with about 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture, then dip in batter and fry as above.

FRIED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Whisk flour into beer or soda to make batter.
• Dip blossoms in batter to thinly coat.
• Fry blossoms in a saucepan, 2 or 3 at a time, in 1 inch of hot (375°F) oil.
• Drain on paper towels and season with salt.