Flower Power

Squash blossoms are among us, Orbiters! Get ready for one of our absolute favorite summer treats. With the garden flourishing, it’s the perfect time to enjoy these incredibly delicious but often overlooked parts of the squash plant. Whether you grow  your own squash plants or seek out bunches of the once-a-year blooms at the farmer’s market, we’ll show you how to prepare these beauties from start to finish. 

Picking Points Any member of the squash family is a perfectly acceptable source for harvesting squash blossoms— zucchini, winter squash, pumpkins, or even gourds. To avoid interfering with your squash harvest, pick male flowers only (more on that below). Always pick the blossoms in the morning—the flowers tend to close up and shrivel in the afternoon sun, making them very difficult to work with. If you’re not preparing them right away, store the flowers in a glass of water in the refrigerator, covered loosely with a plastic bag. They will keep this way up to 2 days. 

Male or Female? There are usually LOTS of male flowers on a plant and only a few female flowers. The male stamens are long and slightly pointed in shape, while the female pistils are more layered and curly looking. If pollinated adequately via bees or other pollinators, the female flowers will turn into squash, so avoid picking those. Even better, after you’re done harvesting the male flowers, use a stick or paint brush to brush some of the pollen from the male flowers onto the pistil inside female flowers still on the plant. This help will ensure pollination. Science in the garden is SO MUCH FUN, Orbiters!

Removing the Stamen If you leave the stamens in the squash flowers, it can impart an unpleasant bitter flavor to your blossoms. To remove it, stick your finger into the inside the flower, pressing and pushing on sides of the base of the stamen until the the stamen pops out at its base (it’s OK if you rip the petal a little during this process). Pull to remove the whole thing. There will be some pollen left inside the flower—this is OK; pollen won’t affect the flavor. Once you get the hang of it, this process is very quick and easy, we promise!

Choose your Cheese Any kind of melting cheese will work in these blossoms. We usually veer toward pizza-esque cheeses like provolone or mozzarella, but other great choices include cheddar, smoked gouda, colby, Monterey jack, or Gruyere. Feel free to mix and match cheeses. You could even add a little crumbly cheese, such as blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta.

The Stuff in 3 Easy Steps
1. Take approximately one tablespoon of the cheese mixture (the amount should depend on the size of the blossom), form it into a little torpedo, and insert it into the flower, pressing it down into the base.
2. Working with one at a time, press the petals together around the stuffing to enclose the filling, then lightly brush the egg wash all over the flower, from the tip to the base near the stem.
3. Transfer the egg-coated blossom to the flour mixture, turning and lightly pressing to coat. Transfer to a waxed paper-line tray or baking sheet then repeat with remaining blossoms. When finished, sprinkle the remaining flour mixture over the coated blossoms and chill until frying time. 

Quick Tangy Marinara Our go-to serve-along for these blossoms, calamari, meatballs, and so much more! In a small saucepan cook 2 Tbsp. tomato paste and 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat, whisking to combine. Add ½ tsp. each garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil; whisk 30 seconds, then add one 1 cup tomato puree or an 8-oz. can tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 to 2 tsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and black pepper. 

Serving Options More than just an amazing appetizer, these fried blossoms are also delicious as a pizza topping, on hoagie sandwiches, on pasta, or even as a salad topping. You really can’t go wrong, so get creative.

Cheese-Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Choose your cheeses for these crispy-outside, melty cheese-inside appetizer. Serve them with a tangy marinara (and perhaps a glass of sparkling wine!) to balance the rich, creamy cheesiness.

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Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 10 to 12 medium to large squash blossoms
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella, provolone, or other melting cheese
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan, aged gouda, pecorino, or other hard grating cheese
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (a gluten-free flour is fine here)
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Marinara sauce, for serving

Instructions

 

• Remove stamens from squash blossoms. Trim stems to about 2 inches. 
• For filling, in a medium bowl combine the mozzarella (or other melting cheese), mayonnaise, basil, Parmesan, oregano, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (if using). In a shallow dish combine flour, salt, and black pepper. In small bowl whisk together egg and milk.
• Stuff each blossom with a heaping tablespoon of the filling, lightly squeezing flower together to enclose filling. Working with one at a time, brush blossoms with egg mixture, then transfer to flour mixture, turning and pressing to coat. Transfer to a waxed paper-lined tray. Sprinkle coated blossoms with remaining flour mixture. Chill, loosely covered, at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
• In a large skillet add ¼ inch vegetable oil. Heat until very hot and shimmering. Working in 2 batches, fry blossoms in oil, turning once or twice, until golden on all sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt to taste, and additional parmesan and fresh basil. Serve with marinara sauce.

Keyword cheese appetizers, make ahead appetizer, squash blossoms, summer recipe