First of all, thanks so much to all of you who have preordered my book! (If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! You can preorder here.) It really helps a lot with production, manufacturing, and things I don’t understand. I’ve been promising a big surprise for everyone who preorders, and it’s finally here—a special Start Here Summer Issue featuring six brand-spanking new recipes for grilling and chilling!
To get your copy, click this link, enter your receipt number, and the pdf will be emailed to you in a few days. (Technically, this incentive is only available for folks who order in the US, buuuuut, it’s not like we’re checking passports or anything 🙃)
You can make just one or two recipes or make them all for an epic summer party. I’ve included a game plan to make prep easy, along with tips for the best outdoor party. Best of all, the special issue is filled with beautiful photography by Laura Murray, so even if you don’t make a thing, you’ll get to look are all those pretty pictures.
On to the recipe…
Every summer, I always make plans to fry up some zucchini flowers, and every summer, I’ll watch them wilt in the fridge before ultimately sauteing them for a quick quesadilla and calling it a day. I love stuffed and fried squash blossoms, but they are very fussy. You’ve got to carefully pluck the stamen out of each blossom—without ripping! You’ve got to use a piping bag (a tool I avoid at all costs) to carefully fill each one—without ripping! Then the battering, the frying, sooo much work for a snack.
Well, this year, I did it! Yes, it is a lot of work, but that’s kinda what makes them so special. The blossoms are only around for a short stint, so why not give them all the love? If you’re feeling ambitious, make this fancy-pants snack with me!
First of all, let’s talk about the blossoms.
If you’re using ones from your own garden, you want to harvest the male blossoms for eating. Not only are they longer and better suited to stuffing, but by leaving the female blossoms put, you’ll still have a great zucchini harvest. They look quite distinct from one another. The male blossoms are long, have thin stalks, and have a thick, pollen-coated stamen in the center. The female blossoms are shorter and have a swelling at the base of the flower (called the pistil—the part that becomes a squash). If you’re buying from a market or grocery store, the blossoms that are sold are typically male unless you find the ones with a teeny squash attached at the base.
To prep the blossoms, use scissors to trim the stem to about 1-inch long and trim off the long, thin green stalks that are found around the base of the flower (I don’t know what these are called, but if a gardening geek is reading this, please let me know in the comments!). These can be slightly tough once cooked. Next, find the person in your household with the tiniest fingers and have them carefully pluck out the stamen from the center of the flower, doing your best not to tear the blossom. If you’ve big fingers, tweezers might be your best bet.
Now, what about that masa batter?
The traditional Italian fried squash blossoms are dipped in an all-purpose flour batter. I’ve decided to opt for a masa harina batter instead. It fries up extra crispy and tastes nutty and corny, just like a Frito (possibly the greatest snack to ever exist). It’s similar to the masa harina batter Ham used to fry up the halibut for the fish tacos in the latest episode of Mystery Menu. (Have you watched it? It might be the most fun one yet!)
If you haven’t worked much with masa harina, it’s really fun to play around with. Try swapping half the all-purpose flour for it in pancake, waffle, and cake batters for hit of corny good times. (In that same Mystery Menu episode, I added it to a choux pastry to make extra light churros. After the fact, the NYTs asked me for the recipe, but I kind of blackout during these shoots and have no memory of how I made it. Sorry.) The most commonly found masa harina is by Maseca, but these days there are much more flavorful versions made by producers like Masienda and Bob’s Red Mill. The blue hue of my fried blossom is owed to Masienda’s heirloom blue corn masa harina.
If you want fried blossoms without all the stuffing fuss, dip them in this batter, fry, and enjoy. The masa batter is so freaking flavorful, I promise you won’t feel like you’re missing a thing.
Masa-Battered Zucchini Flowers
makes 12 | active time: 45 minutes | total time: 45 minutes
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