Fried Squash Blossoms

I was going to tell you about bread today since the weather has finally cooled off a bit, and I've got a loaf in the oven right now. BUT. Squash blossoms are in season. I saw them Monday at the Central Square farmer's market and I'm sure there are a couple of weeks left, but guys... it's August.



August, meaning that it'll be September before we know it, meaning that we must gorge ourselves on summer food now, while we still can! What are you guys wolfing down right now? Corn? Tomatoes? Peaches?



You might consider adding squash blossoms to the list. The most popular way to eat them is to stuff them with something tasty and fry 'em up, which is precisely what I did here.



I did learn something cool from Zoe while I googled around on methods for stuffing and frying. You don't have to be so super careful not to rip the petals when you're cutting out the stamens, you just have to be deliberate and only tear it in one place. Then you can fold the flap over the filling and the coating will seal it shut in the frying oil. No need to twist it shut for round cylinders, flat things are easier to fry in less oil, anyway.



Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms
serves 4 as a light meal (we had salad, too)

I served these with a simple tomato sauce: finely chop a small onion, sweat in a bit of olive oil, add a minced clove of garlic, then add a 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes - I used the very last pint jar of home canned from 2010 - and simmer until thick. Add herbs (basil, oregano, marjoram) if you have them around. 

one dozen squash blossoms
1 cup ricotta cheese
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs: basil and oregano are great, sage would be nice, I think.
salt and pepper
one egg
1/2 cup flour
vegetable oil for frying

Fill a big bowl with cool water.

First, prep the blossoms: remove the calyxes (little green leafy things) from the base of the flower. Slit the petal in one spot all the way down to the green part and carefully cut out the stamen. Carefully swish the flower in the water and lay it, open, on paper towels to dry. Repeat with all the blossoms and allow them to dry.

Meanwhile, get the filling ready. Mix up the ricotta with the herbs and some salt and pepper. Taste it, make sure it's good. Once the blossoms are dry, pipe or spoon in a small amount of filling into each flower. Don't overstuff! It'll just leak out and make frying more difficult. Fold the flap over the cheese.

Beat the egg in a shallow bowl until well blended, season with a little salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl season the flour, too. In a heavy skillet, heat about an 1/8 of an inch of oil over medium-high heat. The oil is hot enough when a pinch of flour dropped in sizzles immediately. One at a time, carefully dip each filled flower in the egg, letting the excess drip off, and then into the seasoned flour, patting off excess flower so the coating is light, not clumpy. Fry until golden, a few minutes on each side, then drain on paper towels. Don't eat them right out of the pan or you'll burn your mouth on the hot cheese, make sure to give them a minute!

Curried Pea and Potato Fritters

I find myself with a tremendously full freezer. I still have a TON of duck fat leftover from my finals, plus three different kinds of stock. Also half a recipe of pie crust from a month ago, half a bag of cherries from some recipe testing I'm doing, some ground lamb and beef, a little bit of pesto and the odd banana. It is ridiculous, and I'm trying to clear it out a little bit... so I can start adding to it. Hatch chiles will be in stores in a couple of weeks, and I'm ready to make some pesto. I managed to shove some sour cherries in there, but there are more things coming that I'll want to freeze for the winter, and Adam has not yet relented to my "pleeeease can we get another little freezer" whining. SO. It's time to start using up my freezer stash, starting with these fritters.

I was thinking about samosas when I found half a bag of frozen peas, but fritters are easier (no dough to roll out!) and I'm on kind of fried food kick lately. We ate them on top of a green salad with some cucumber yogurt sauce, and I liked how the peas popped in the mouth. So, any suggestions for convincing Adam we need another freezer?


Curried Pea and Potato Fritters
inspired by Ratio
makes 8 good size fritters

1 small 4-6 ounce russet potato
1 1/2 cup peas, blanched if fresh, rinsed if frozen
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch cayenne
1/2 cup water
1 egg
canola or vegetable oil for frying

Cook the potato however you like. I stuck mine in the microwave, and because it was small, it only took about 5 minutes to cook through. You could also bake, steam, or boil it. However you cook it, all you want is the flesh, so scoop it out of the peel. (Then sprinkle some salt on the peel and eat it. Potato skins. Yeah.) You should end up with about half a cup of potato. Stir the peas into the potato.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, curry powder, cumin and cayenne. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid and whisk to combine. Add most of the fritter batter to the peas and potato, and stir. Don't add it all at once, you just want enough to hold it all together. If it's too firm, add the rest of the batter.

Heat about a 1/4 inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium high heat, and spoon the batter in (I used a 1/4 cup measure). Depending on how big your skillet is you will need to work in batches. Fry until golden, 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels for a couple of minutes, then eat with yogurt sauce, salad optional.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
makes about a cup

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, shredded
1 cup greek yogurt
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Put the shredded cucumber in a strainer and toss it with a big pinch or two of salt. Put the strainer over a bowl and let the cucumber drain for half an hour or so. Be amazed at how much water comes out of one vegetable. Press the cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible, then add it to the yogurt. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice and some pepper, taste it, and see if it needs more salt. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to eat it.