What is it about fried food that makes people weak in the knees? Stephanie Russell speculates.
By Stephanie Russell
What is it about fried food that makes people weak in the knees? Could it be the crunch? The burnished golden exterior? Or maybe it’s the molten gooey-ness tucked within. Whatever the reason may be, I’m not one to argue — deep fried food is just plain delicious. And they’re even tastier when you make them with extra special ingredients like zucchini blossoms.
Plucked from the tips of growing zucchini, these clementine-hued flowers are completely edible and are used in a variety of cooking methods across many cultures. The blossoms start showing up at farmer’s markets in the late spring to early summer. So you can imagine my delight when I happened upon these during my usual Saturday morning farmer’s market jaunt. Gorgeous and delicate, they were a pleasure to behold and I was already starting to develop a plan on how to prepare them.
I recalled a recipe by Jamie Oliver that entailed filling and frying the zucchini blossoms tempura-style. I liked the idea of keeping the flowers intact and veiling them with a light and airy batter. His recipe for the stuffing asked for ricotta cheese and mint leaves. As much as I appreciate the subtle sweetness and creaminess of ricotta, I was aiming for a much tangier jolt of flavor, one that goat cheese easily brings to the palate. I replaced the mint leaves for chives since my garden is abundant with them at the moment and I thought of no better way to use them than in this fried delicacy. Plus, I could use the vibrant (and totally edible) chive blossoms as a finishing touch.
I could hardly wait long enough for them to cool before having a taste. The exterior had just the right amount of crunch and chew without being overly unctuous. And the filling. Oh, the filling. It was tart and zippy from the goat cheese, chive, and lemon zest mixture.
I enjoyed these with a quick spritz of lemon juice and a few scatterings of minced red chili. Nothing more, nothing less.
PrintCrispy Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Chives
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
A surprisingly light and scrumptious recipe for fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and chives.
Ingredients
- 12–13 zucchini blossoms; delicately rinsed and stamens removed*
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives + blossoms (reserved)
- 1 red chili pepper; halved, seeded, minced, and divided in half
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups good white wine or sparkling water
- Peanut oil
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Start by mixing the goat cheese, chopped chives, ½ of the minced chili pepper, lemon zest, and salt and pepper together. Taste for seasonings.
- Put this mixture into a piping bag or make a homemade one by scooping it into a small plastic bag and snip the corner off to make a hole. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour and wine/sparkling water together with a whisk. Add a pinch of salt to the mixture. It should be a creamy consistency – sort of like heavy cream. If it’s too thick, add more liquid. If it’s too runny, add more flour.
- Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Start filling the zucchini blossoms with a scant teaspoon or so of the goat cheese mixture. Be gentle about it so they don’t tear unnecessarily. Press the petals tightly against the goat cheese so they are closed into bundles. Repeat with the rest.
- Fill a large saucepot with about 4-5 inches of peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once it hits around 350 degrees, it’s ready. Or, what I usually do is check to see if tiny bubbles are starting to come up to the surface.
- Set aside a dish lined with paper towels for the fried zucchini blossoms to drain.
- Working in batches of 3-4 zucchini blossoms at a time, dunk them in the batter until fully coated, drip off the excess and lay them gently, away from you, into the hot oil. Let them get crispy and lightly golden brown, turning them around every now and again with a slotted spoon to fry them evenly; about 3-4 minutes.
- Let them drain on the paper towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini blossoms.
- Lastly, as a garnish add the chive blossoms to the oil and let fry for a few seconds. Take them out and scatter over zucchini blossoms. Sprinkle salt and the rest of the minced chili peppers over the hot zucchini blossoms. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
*If you’ve never worked with zucchini blossoms before, don’t be alarmed. I found it easiest to clean them by running cool water gently over them. The pressure of the water will coax the petals open, making it quick work of snipping the stamen right off. It’s okay if some of the petals rip apart – you will be able to adhere it to the goat cheese mixture anyway keeping it closed.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
this is interesting, great!
Thanks, Tamara!
Zucchini flowers have showed up in our markets. They are such a treat. I am with you, goat cheese packs a bit more flavor than ricotta. Yum!
I can’t tell you how ecstatic I was to see them at the farmer’s market! I love goat cheese, too. :-)
Those look amazing. I live in the South and they will fry anything and anything down here. I think there’s also that feeling of it being comfort food or a guilty pleasure.
Thanks, Greg! I have yet to visit the South but I’m sure I would love it. Nothing wrong with tasty fried goodness!
What a beautiful dish :) I featured them in yesterday’s Delicious Links roundup. Thanks for sharing!
Why did you choose to use peanut oil? Do you think opting for olive oil or canola oil would alter the taste?
Hi Jenn,
Peanut oil has a much higher burning point compared to olive oil or canola oil. Vegetable oil would also be a good option to use for frying as well. I would use olive oil for a quick saute but not for a deep fry. Hope this helps and good luck on your culinary adventures! :-)