Ricotta & Basil Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms (Gluten-free)

I’ve been dying to make stuffed squash (or zucchini) blossoms this summer!  Finally, I went out to my CSA farm and picked a few!!  They’re stuffed with ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and basil- simple and light.  Then are are lightly coated with cornmeal and fried, more or less.  Not totally soaked in a deep-fryer fried, but fried enough so that they are crunchy and crispy.  Naturally, they aren’t what one would call a healthy snack, but if you’ve been dying to make squash blossoms like me, you don’t really care 🙂  It makes then so delicate and crisp!!  I wanted to keep the integrity of the blossoms and not totally swamp them with other flavors, which is why the filling is so simple.  Cornmeal can be quite flavorful though, so if you want an even lighter version, where you really just taste the blossom, substitute flour in for cornmeal instead.  Flour is lighter and less dense, but for gluten-free goers, cornmeal is a nice alternative.  Plus, if you like the an extra crunchy exterior, it’s the way to go.  I had heard cornmeal was delish, so have been dying to try.  The key is to make it a light dusting- don’t drench the little guys in the stuff- that will make it more cornmealy than blossomy.  But if you keep it light, cornmeal is a great way to enjoy these lovely colorful blossoms!

As usual in my cooking, I say use what you have… ricotta’s kind of a must here, but if you don’t have little fresh mozzarella balls, you can use regular mozzarella- either grated or sliced.  And as mentioned above, you can use either cornmeal or flour, depending on the texture you want and what you have in your home 🙂

I’d say the toughest thing to get your hands on are these little guys- the blossoms.  But if you know anyone who is growing squash or zucchini, ask them if you can pick a few!  They’re all over this time of year!!  You can also get them from some stores, but A- I think it’s fun to pick them yourself and B- why pay when you can get them for free?!  However you get them, they’re a fun little treat to try… not your everyday snack!!  (At least not in for me anyway!)

They’re so pretty and delicate… who would think you can eat these lovely things??!

It’s actually really cool to see how they grow- the zucchini squash grows right from the stems!  So if you find some with little zucchini growing out of them, keep them on there- you can eat those with the blossoms too and it’s delish 🙂

4 blossoms

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 eggs

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 tbsp ricotta

couple little fresh mozzarella balls (or slices)

4 large basil leaves

ghee or other healthy cooking oil- use as much as you want for frying… you can just fry the sides, rolling the blossoms around a side at a time, or fully immerse them in the stuff to give them a complete fry- your choice 🙂

Start by making filling…

Mix ricotta, salt, and pepper in a bowl

(I used one tbsp per blossom)

Mix well with a fork- check for seasoning about adjust as wanted

Then slice mozzarella- you’ll only need a few little pieces for each blossom

Get four large basil leaves (or one per blossom)

Then lay mozzarella slices over basil..

Followed by one tablespoon of the ricotta mixture

Now to the blossoms…

Gently rinse and clean them

Male blossoms have the stamen inside… you’ll want to carefully remove that

It’s not hard- just break it off with your fingers

(If a petal rips or breaks, no worries- just fold it back over and keep going… )

Now stuff the blossoms…

Rather than making a giant mix with basil, mozzarella, etc in it and then

stuffing, I have found that making little piles works nicely- it stays

together in little proportionate piles and is easy to get in the blossom…

Take one basil/cheese pile and gently lay it inside each blossom

Once they’ll all stuffed, close each of the petals around the stuffing

Now in two bowls, get corn meal (or flour if using that) on one and whisk 2 eggs in the other

Gently dip blossoms in egg, one at a time

I find it easiest to slowly roll blossom in egg to completely coat

Then lay in cornmeal and lightly coat

Shake off any extra cornmeal- remember, you want it to be a light coat!

(See how much sneaks on there- brush that stuff away)

Then heat oil over medium-high heat in a large deep pan

Fry each blossom until golden brown

I don’t own a deep-fryer- I’m not a big fryer I guess… if you do, you want

the heat to get to about 365 degrees.. if not, then just heat

until hot (check by tossing in a couple water drops- if sizzles, it’s hot) and fry them

Use a slotted spoon to turn them in pan to brown all sides

Lay on a paper towel to dry when done

Plate (you can sprinkle with fresh basil or a

little sauce of some sort if want) and gobble!