Nothing says “summer” like fresh squash blossoms, well except for maybe fresh vine tomatoes, or figs fresh off the tree…um…you get my point..don’t you? I picked up some beautiful ones the other day at the Farmer’s Market. Admittedly, it was pretty hard not to reach for the enchilada cheese when I was dreaming about what to stuff these with. It took a few passes by the cheese aisle, but I managed. And so these delicious, healthy-ish little vegan guys were born.
zucchini blossoms stuffed with macadamia ricotta
1 dozen or more fresh zucchini blossoms
2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked in water for an hour
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup water
Healthy cooking oil
1 cup almond milk
1 cup potato starch (or corn starch)
More salt for a little seasoning
Sauce of choice (optional)
First make the cheese. Drain the nuts and place them in a food processor, along with the lemon, salt, and water. Blend for several minutes until it takes on the consistency of ricotta cheese. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of the processor bowl, or even add a little more water. It should be firm and not runny, like a sticky ricotta. Remove the baby zucchini from the bottoms of the blossoms, gently open the blossoms, and remove the stamen from the inside. Open each blossom carefully, and insert some of the nut cheese using a very small spoon or the end of a butter knife. The blossom petals will be pretty forgiving as you gently fold them around the cheese and gather them at the top. The more fresh and “loose” the blossom, the easier it is to make a beautiful stuffed one. Repeat until all the blossoms are stuffed.
Heat some cooking oil in a sauté, pan, enough to coat the bottom a little. Dip each blossom in the almond milk, then roll very gently in the potato starch, shaking off any loose starch. Pan fry the blossoms in the hot oil, turning as they crisp. The potato starch wont really turn brown, it just turns a crisp off white color. Repeat with all the blossoms until they are all done. Serve in a basket, or over a dipping sauce, as pictured. Enjoy quickly while they are hot and crisp, but don’t burn yourself. I served them with a roasted pepper puree, but salsa verde, mole, or even pesto also work great.
the whole dish 