Fried Squash Blossoms!

Yum!! Squash Blossoms!

I just discovered this super easy, very tasty recipe from a great Tuscan cookbook, Piano Piano Pieno. These delicately fried flowers make a scrumptious aperitivo. Unfortunately my garden has already suffered from a number of frosts and the zucchini season is coming to an end. But I'm still picking every flower those plants offer!

Pick the male flowers from any squash plant (the flowers attached to stems as opposed to those on the end of the squash), remove the pistil, wash and check for bugs. Leave a 1/4 inch of stem attached to use as a handle. Gently towel dry.

Batter
3/4 cup organic all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of grated nutmeg

Whisk all ingredients together and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil up in a pot suitable for frying (you should have about 1 inch of oil in the pot).
When the oil is hot, dip squash blossoms in the batter and put into oil. Fry each side until golden brown. Do not crowd blossoms in the pot, they will stick together. When done place on towel to absorb excess oil. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all blossoms are fried. Sprinkle with salt and serve!!


Unfortunately this is not a recipe which can be made ahead. Best to fry and eat. When done I filter the oil and save it for the next time--but don't let it go rancid!

You can also stuff your squash blossoms if you pick them early in the morning when they are fully open. I stuff them with a sauteed zucchini tomato mix, with a bit of almost burnt onions and some Parmigiano.

Wine Suggestions: A white Italian of course! Try a Friuli white or other crisp light white. Save your chardonnay for something else!

Indian-Style Ratatouille

I came up with this recipe after talking about India with someone at the Glenwood Springs Farmer's Market. When I went home to make dinner I felt like diverging from my traditional Mediterranean based diet. (But not too far off, as you'll see!)

Ingredients
1 Onion (small), diced
1 Zucchini (large), cut into bite size pieces
1 Eggplant (small), peeled and cut into bite size pieces
Tomatoes, rough cut
Garlic, crushed
1 Cinnamon stick, whole
Turmeric
Curry powder
Olive oil
Cayenne pepper

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add cayenne pepper and cinnamon stick. Add diced onion and saute until soft. Add Eggplant and Zucchini and a bit more olive oil. Saute. Add turmeric and curry powder. Stir well. Add garlic and any other desired herbs. Add cut up tomatoes and continue to cook. Serve with rice and chutney.

Wine suggestions: What else but a riesling! (From the Mosel of course)

Ratatouille

Yum! Before summer runs out of steam, as it is quickly doing here in the Rockies, I have to profer up a directive for ratatouille. It is the simplest of dishes to prepare, and the most rewarding to freeze and rediscover in the heart of February.

Ingredients
1 Zucchini, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 Eggplant, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 Onion, diced
Alot of Tomatoes, cored and rough cut (maybe 10 or so, depending on size)
Olive Oil
A fair amount of Garlic, crushed
Fresh herbs of choice (I use basil, parsley and tarragon), cut
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Bay leaves

Heat olive oil in a pot (I use cast iron dutch oven). Add onion and salt. Saute until soft, slightly golden. Cut and add eggplant and a bit more oil, continue to saute until soft. Cut and add zucchini. Stir. Cut and add tomatoes. Add crushed garlic, bay leaves and herbs. Simmer covered until cooked (at least one hour). Add more garlic and herbs, salt and pepper as desired.

This recipe is great when finished but even better the next day when all of the flavors have come together. Traditionally you would also add red and green bell peppers to this recipe. I peel the vegetables because I almost always make extra to freeze some and the texture works better if the veggies are peeled. If you have no intention of freezing any you need not peel the zucchini and eggplant. But why wouldn't you save some of this for those drab tomato-less days of winter?!

Wine Suggestions: Great with a rose from Provence or other Rhone varietal white (Roussane, Viognier...). Can also work well with a hearty, earthy red such as Gigondas or Vacqueyras