Sourdough Battered Zucchini Blossoms

Zucchini Blossoms (don’t limit yourself to just zucchini, you can also use other squash or pumpkin blossoms) make great little vessels for stuffing and can also be used for sautéing and making wonderful fillings for quesadillas and tacos.

I was wandering around our newest farmers market on Saturday. It is the Hawaiian Homelands Farmer’s Market. Everything there is grown on Hawaiian Homelands land. The products there vary greatly and since it is a new market, there are somewhat limited choices, but I really want to support this market and go every week. Each week I have found something wonderful, last week it was an amazing new variety of avocado, this week it was a woman selling zucchini blossoms! I have lived in Hawaii for three years and never once seen squash blossoms in any of our farmers markets. I was absolutely delighted when she sold me a huge pile of them for just $2! And then she sold me a grocery bag full of limes for $2 too! This is what I call a *SCORE*! 

My first inclination when I have squash blossoms is to stuff and fry them. You can use a variety of things to stuff them, from crab to goat cheese. I decided on goat cheese because I have some local goat cheese that I bought at the Hilo Farmer’s Market. I have been making sourdough starter and it is in its seventh day, ready for anything from pancakes to bread. Why not use it for the batter on the squash blossoms? 

You can find my sourdough starter recipe here. Once you get to day five, you will be able to do this recipe or make bread. It really is easy to make the starter, it only takes minutes a day. Follow the steps and then to  1 cup of starter add:

·         1 cup of flour

·         About 2/3 cup of water, just enough to make a thick pancake like batter

·         Lots of freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste (about ½ tsp)

·         About a tsp. of garlic salt

·         Add some herbs if you would like. The garlic salt I use has parsley in it, but I have added chopped fresh parsley, thyme rosemary or sage to batter

Whisk the batter well. Allow the batter to rest about 20 minutes up to one hour. Stir well just before use. Prep the blossoms by taking finger sized pieces of cold goat cheese (I used a locally made version from Lava Rocks Puna Goat Cheese with spices and herbs in it) fill and lightly squeeze the petals of the blossoms around the filling. Place in refrigerator until ready to fry.

Heat canola oil in a deep pan to 350˚ F and dip a squash blossom into the batter, holding it by the stem making sure the entire blossom is covered. Swiftly move into the batter. Cook two at a time. Flip after about 1 minute. Cook till golden on both sides and drain. These are best served shortly after cooking but if you are having a party, they can be kept in a warming oven for up to 30 minutes. They can also be served with a variety of sauces. I cut the blossoms in half and served them with Thai sweet chili sauce.