So on my farmer's market run for the 5-course corn dinner this past weekend, I noticed a very reasonably priced package of squash blossoms, and I said to myself, "Self: you should pick these up and maybe you could add them to the menu if time permits."
My response probably should have been, "Ha, Self, you ridiculous fool! You know you're always cooking right up to the last minute, you overambitious dinner party menu planner, you. The chances of you having 'extra' time is downright laughable."
I bought the blossoms, and I didn't have the chance to use them at the party, but they were a perfect vehicle for a wonderful mishmash of dinner party leftovers. So, let's call that success!
I wiped them off with a wet paper towel to remove dirt and a bug or two, and laid them out at the ready. And then I concocted a leftover-driven stuffing that I will never in a million years be able to replicate*, but here's the full ingredient list to give you the basic idea:
- about half a cup of fresh ricotta
- some shredded parm
- shredded, cooked golden zucchini with onion and garlic (probably half a cup-ish)
- a quarter-cup or so of crumbled queso fresco
- a tablespoon of mascarpone just to smooth/bind everything
- a quarter-cup of sauteed, chopped mushrooms
- a tablespoon of the leftover corn solids from making corn ice cream (* told you)
- black pepper
And then I spooned the stuffing into the blossoms, and twisted them neatly at the top to close.
And while most squash blossom recipes I've seen call for breading and frying, for health reasons I decided to just saute unbreadded blossoms instead, and I have to say, I think it was totally the right call.
A little bit of canola oil in a nonstick pan, and a very careful hand with the tongs. They mostly stayed together. And since it wasn't for company, I wasn't stressed that a little bit of cheese was making a break for it here and there.
Served on tomato sauce (with more of that shredded, cooked zucchini and sauteed sliced mushrooms) with a few capers and some badly chiffonaded basil. Yay! Lazy, half-cocked chiffonade! It's Tuesday, nobody cares!
Verdict: rocktastically delicious. And, with a little more care, totally suitable for company. But as it was, cobbled together and spilling out and kind of a mishmash, still quite possibly the best Tuesday night meal we've ever had.
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