Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
If you’ve ever planted zucchinis in your garden, you know what happens: they take over. In a good way. (Although I probably should have planted my corn and peppers a bit farther apart…) Since my fledgling zucchinis are offering a bounty of blossoms right now, I decided to see what I could do with them in culinary terms. Some people simply slice them and sprinkle them on salads; others deep-fry them as fritters. I decided to stuff them with a goat-cheese sofrito and then sautée them in ghee. The result was a creamy, light-and-summery tasting appetizer. Next time, I’ll make enough for a meal!
Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
Choose blossoms that have fully opened but have not yet begun to wilt. (When they wilt, they become so limp that they’re impossible to work with.) Snip off the blossoms right at the base, then rinse them with cold water and carefully reach into the centers to check for bugs and to pull out the pistils. Set aside cleaned blossoms while you make the stuffing.
For the sofrito, sautée finely-diced red bell pepper with a bit of finely-diced onion and finely-diced garlic. When the onions are translucent — that should only take two or three minutes over medium heat — remove pan from heat and stir in goat cheese. (Amounts vary according to how many blossoms you’re stuffing, how big they are, and how you prefer your ratios — I like lots of red pepper and cheese, for example, so I load up on those. Just bear in mind that each blossom will only hold about a tablespoon of stuffing…perhaps even less.)
Use a small spoon or your fingers to split apart the petals and slide some stuffing into each blossom. “Seal” each one by twisting the petals together towards the top to form a closed package.
Using a fresh pan — the leftover bits of goat cheese in the previous pan would burn — sautée the blossoms over medium heat just long enough for them to become a golden brown on both sides. (I’ve found that ghee works best for browning.) A word of caution: be sure to keep an eye on the blossoms and shake the pan to move them around. They’ll brown in a quick minute or two! Serve piping hot.
Enjoy!
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Tags: garden, goat cheese, sofrito, stuffed, summer, zucchini blossoms
