Well, don’t we all need a little novelty in our lives?
I’ve never been all that interested in buying or cooking zucchini blossoms. They seemed to me the stuff of overwrought Italian-American restaurants, like the ones you see on Long Island with the big sign and red carpeting and the waiters greeting you with “Mangia!” and pronouncing manicotti ”mehnecawty.” They’re usually served dripping with residual oil and crammed with so much ricotta cheese that all you can taste is…oil and ricotta cheese. The blossom itself seemed just a fancy vessel.
I found out, after purchasing these, that zucchini blossoms are probably more about pomp and circumstance than they are about substance. They’re fanciful in looks; subtle in taste (trust me on the looks–they are fantastic bright yellow flowers. Unfortunately, these had been in the refrigerator a few days before I took the picture so they’re not quite as perky). And I’m all for health, but in all honestly, the best way to cook them is to beer-batter them and fry them up and give them a sprinkling of salt.
However. If you are interested in something not fried, the blossoms impart a faint zucchini flavor tinged with a slight nutty sweetness that can be delicious in other dishes. One suggestion is to add them to pizza–straight onto the dough, with anchovies and red onion, covered in mozzarella cheese so they don’t burn (unfortunate since they are so bright and beautiful). The saltiness of the anchovy will complement their bitterness. I also think that since they are so inoffensive in taste, they accent a salad very well and can perk up a fritatta. None of these are outright recipes, but when you’ve got a good ornament, what’s the use of being fancy?
Have a peachy-keen weekend. See you Monday!
RECIPE: Zucchini Blossoms Fried and Not Fried
Filed under: Clean Food Daily, flowers, other, squash blossoms, vegetables, zucchini blossoms
