They’re Back………..Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the Kitchen. Zucchini Blossoms!!!!
Now you really didn’t think you were going the whole summer with out seeing my precious, did you? We all know the therapy wasn’t going to work and the 7 step program was a lot of fun, but let’s get serious.
I love zucchini blossoms and that’s one addiction I can live with. The blossoms arrived at our farmers market about a month ago and we have been enjoying them my wife’s favorite way, stuffed with a blend of cheeses, battered and sauteed……sigh, it’s a wonderful thing!
This week when I spotted my precious, I knew it was time for a change, and while I enjoyed all of my creations last year, I felt the need to try something different. Having received a bounty of the best Feta Cheese I have ever had from Euphrates , I felt the need to use that delicious feta in my blossoms.
Standing in the middle of the Collingswood Farmer’s Market it came to me, Jersey Fresh Tomatoes, basil and feta, a match made in heaven! I didn’t want these beauties to be too heavy so I stayed with a classical batter, simply sparkling water(S.Pelligrino) and Flour.
Feta Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
Ingredients:
12 Zucchini Blossoms
2 ounces Feta Crumbles
2 Medium Tomatoes very small dice
2 tbsp. Fresh Basil Finely chopped
Black pepper to taste
Batter:
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
3-4 ounces Sparkling Water or Proseco
Directions:
1. mix feta, chopped tomatoes, and basil in a small bowl, season with black pepper.
2. Allow mixture to sit for about 15 minutes before using, then drain off any liquid.
3. Carefully open blossom and spoon mixture into blossom until full, form flower closed.
4. Mix flour and sparkling water together to form batter, it should have the consistency or heavy cream so adjust it as needed.
5. Heat saute pan on stove with olive oil to fry the blossoms.
6. Dip Blossom into batter and place in hot oil, cooking on each side till golden brown.
7. Allow blossoms to cool slightly and serve.
* Blossoms should be served at room temperature they do not have to be hot!
Anyway you stuff those little beauties they are such a treat. If your in the mood for my ricotta stuffed blossoms, Click Here For The Recipe. Just make sure you give them a try you’ll be hooked on those little bites of heaven!
Ask Chef Dennis
Social Media- I keep getting questions about the different types of social media out there and if they really make a difference. I came late to that party, and have been playing catch up not only in terms of followers or friend but trying so hard to learn to use these tools properly.
Google+ has come onto the scene and people are saying its the best thing since sliced bread, the next facebook but only better. I have to admit, that I haven’t seen a lot to support that statement yet, but I do think that yet is the key word. Knowing the all powerful Google, I can’t see them doing anything that would not be incredibly successful. So my advice, get on the Google+ wagon now, because if it does explode, you want to be ready. At this point it certainly couldn’t hurt! So if anyone out there would like an invitation to Google+ just send me a note with your email address and I will get one out to you!
Twitter would have to be one of the more popular forms of social media out there, I’m still learning my way around, but its a nice place to make announcements, and to connect with friends. Just remember to retweet your friends posts too! If your on Twitter there are a lot of great tools to help, my two favorite are Your Twitter Karma and Tweetdeck . I would strongly advise checking out your twitter karma, just to see how many people have stopped following you after you follow them. It breaks down the list to who you are following and who is following you. As for Tweetdeck, it was so successful it now belongs to Twitter. You can keep track of facebook, Linkedin, and a few other medias at the same time on tweetdeck, and you can set it up just about anyway that works best for you. So start Tweetin’!
Stumble Upon Now this my friends is the sleeping Giant, I’m still in the dark about the specific, but if you get a good stumble, your page views can go off the charts, trust me on this one, get stumbling right away!
There are so many different types of social media, including sites like Foodbuzz, you do interact with your friends, and you can get something out of it in terms of page views. But what you must be careful with is your time, none of us much extra time, and what we do have needs to be spent productively.
We talk about foodporn sites all the time, and what you can get from them. It’s great to see your images up on the sites, but if your not getting a substantial return for your time, it’s not worth the trouble, not to mention how frustrating some sites are with all the different reasons they won’t take your image, that the other site took…sigh So find what’s best for you, and spend your time wisely!
Speaking of spending my time wisely, I think some sleep would be a good thing right now. Happy Wednesday my friends, if you can take a midweek break and do something special for yourself!
As always…
Quay Po Cooks says
August 13, 2011 at 10:38 amHi Chef Dennis, I don't think I can get the blossoms here:( but I really enjoyed looking at the photos of your dish. I am sure it taste awesome. Congrats on the top 9 again!
kita says
August 12, 2011 at 2:42 amYou go Chef! These blossoms look great. Im not sure I will ever get my BF to be daring enough to try one of these here but I can live vicariously.
Claudia says
August 11, 2011 at 11:16 pmI always stuff them with Gorgonzola – this is a nice change especially with the sweet tomatoes. One of my favorite delights of the season. I fight the bees for them.
Peggy says
August 11, 2011 at 8:45 pmI joined Google+ a while back, but am still up in the air about whether I like it or not. It's definitely easier (and less of a pain) than Facebook, but we'll see how it all pans out.
On another note, these zucchini blossoms sound so good – definitely going to have to see if our Farmer's Markets have them this weekend!
Cheryl and Adam @ pictureperfectmeals.com says
August 11, 2011 at 8:03 pmThis addiction can be forgiven and your preparation should be illegal! Congrats on the Top 9!
Sharon (Bit of the good stuff) says
August 11, 2011 at 6:59 pmCongratulations on making the top 9! This dish (and the photos) are stunning. You got my buzz! xx
5 Star Foodie says
August 11, 2011 at 6:21 pmAwesome to see another terrific preparation of blossoms from you! Nice with feta!
RavieNomNoms says
August 11, 2011 at 5:51 pmOh how gorgeous! I am so glad that blossoms are back. They are so pretty and just so yummy and light and delicious!
Love it Dennis!! 🙂
Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes says
August 11, 2011 at 3:26 pmLove this. Especially that you used prosecco in the batter. Amazing!!
Congrats on another well-deserved Top 9, Chef Dennis!!
Lindselicious says
August 11, 2011 at 3:25 pmOoooh I finally tried zucchini blossoms and fell in love! Yours look so good- great post!
wok with ray says
August 11, 2011 at 3:17 pmBeautiful blossoms, Chef Dennis and thank you for the recipe. Facebook is good but FacetoFace is best. Just my 2cents.
~ ray ~
K Sargent says
August 11, 2011 at 2:49 pmI too am obsessed with squash blossoms! I pass by a squash field on my morning run and have been dreaming of frying up some of those beautiful blossoms. THANK YOU for posting this recipe – it looks great!
Just a quick question: Is there a specific temperature that you fry them at?
Now… to find some squash blossoms 🙂
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
August 11, 2011 at 2:44 pmOoo, I should have known when I got here I'd find SQUASH BLOSSOMS! 🙂
They look fantastic. Can't wait to see ya this weekend.
Boulder Locavore says
August 11, 2011 at 2:07 pmThis looks great and simple. I've made a version of battered stuffed z. flowers that was so heavy it tore the flowers to shreds. I'll need to harvest mine fm the garden when I get home.
The Mom Chef says
August 11, 2011 at 2:03 pmYou're so lucky to find zucchini blossoms. I was looking forward to giving your ricotta ones a try, but for some reason many of the plants in our area have suffered and already are gone. I've had to beg zucchini off friends, and none would give up the flower when the fruit was so precious.
Your blossoms, as always, look delicious.
Cristina says
August 11, 2011 at 1:37 pmChef: I finally came across some various sized squash blossoms and of course I thought of you! I couldn't wait to get them home and try them for myself. They turned out delicious and I can't wait to find some more again to try this with the feta (luv feta!). I remember your memorable posts from last year about them – thank you for introducing them to your readers (namely me). =) Congrats on the Top 9.
Sandra says
August 11, 2011 at 1:17 pmI always thought the blossoms were throw aways, silly me!
Jenn says
August 11, 2011 at 12:54 pmYAY!!! The Precious is back!!! Loving this stuffing too, Chef.. nicely done 🙂
Alyce says
August 11, 2011 at 11:46 amLove squash blossoms. And your social media tips are very helpful.
Ally says
August 11, 2011 at 8:18 amYay! I'm glad they're "back," LOVE those squash blossoms! Your recipe looks delicious, Chef!
Elies_Lie says
August 11, 2011 at 8:02 amCongratz for the top 9 #1 on Foodbuzz chef!
I never know that a zucchini blossom can be eaten 😀
Lovely post! Tq for sharing! 🙂
Elin says
August 11, 2011 at 6:21 amCame back for second helpings…CONGRATS on Top 9 #1 !!!
Regards,
Elin
Roxana GreenGirl says
August 11, 2011 at 5:05 amI saw last weekend for the first time this season zucchini blossom and bought a couple. Can't wait to buy some more!! i love these delicious babies!
thanks to you I've joined the Google+, now if only my day has at least 30 hours in a day … sigh.. so many social media channels, so little time!
Erin says
August 11, 2011 at 2:11 amI have never had zucchini blossoms before. I think I have been missing out for sure! Going to have to see if I can get my hands on some still this year.
a. maren says
August 11, 2011 at 1:00 ami just want to stuff all of these in my mouth right now!!
FamilySpice says
August 10, 2011 at 8:27 pmThis summer was the first time I had stuffed squash blossoms. Serious OMG-what-am-I-missing-moment! These sound equally amazing!
Agreed about spending your time wisely. I found I get tremendous traffic with the food porn sites, as well as just plain getting googled for a recipe. I used to spend hours every night visiting sites, getting to know people, leaving thoughtful comments and it didn't do much. To save my sanity and my marriage (hee! hee!) I'm much more selective on the blogs I read and the comments I leave.
Kelly @ Eat Yourself Skinny says
August 10, 2011 at 7:47 pmWhat a delicious recipe, these look fantastic!! 🙂
mangiabella says
August 10, 2011 at 7:24 pmahhhh, your precious at last!!! And particularly beautiful with those tomatoes and feta, among some of my faaaavorite combinations.
Haven't heard of google + yet, but I whole heartedly agree that with so many varieties of social media available and only so many hours in the day, one must assess which ones they would like to commit to, and then stay committed to those and not try to spread yourself too too thin, otherwise….it can become quite overwhelming and you eat up all of your available hours online instead of living life and being present for the people you love.
Stumble upon is a favorite of mine for sure. Facebook connects me to many I don't get to see enough in my personal life and twitter is still a work in progress for me. Haven't been as committed to that as I'd like to but working on it. I ebb and flow when it comes to Foodbuzz, but I love it and am trying to stay plugged in there. Pinterest is a great source of inspiration – so far that have been my top ones…perhaps there is room for another one or so…time will tell. But I always enjoy learning about all that is emerging and you have brought each and every one of us an incredible wealth of information on so many of these topics and beyond…thank you friend, for all you are, for all you do, for all you bring to us each and every post….shine on!
Wendy Irene says
August 10, 2011 at 5:33 pmIt is wonderful to see your precious back, making a beautiful appearance. Happy Wednesday to you Chef Dennis!
Susie Bee on Maui says
August 10, 2011 at 5:02 pmI've yet to see the blossoms here although I know they exists as we get tons of local zucchini!
I like the simple batter idea-thanks for sharing.
Aloha!
Brooks at Cakewalker says
August 10, 2011 at 4:36 pmChef, Though I've seen zuchini blossoms in farmer's markets, I've never purchased them. The flavor profiles presented in this recipe, however, have me adding the flowers to my shopping list. Thank you for sharing this tantalizing recipe!
Lauren says
August 10, 2011 at 3:28 pmThese look delicious! I'm going to have to search for the blossoms.
Jessica says
August 10, 2011 at 3:22 pmUsing feta is a brilliant choice! The crumbly feta with the soft yet crispy blossoms.. ah it just have tasted heavenly! I've been waiting to make some too (hopefully I'll score a couple from today's farmers' market), can't wait!
Elizabeth of Asianinamericamag says
August 10, 2011 at 2:00 pmLove this post!In the Philippines growing up, we used squash blossoms in a soup stew with clams and ginger, which made the broth so healthy. I got homesick for my youth reading this recipe. Thanks for the helpful tips on social media…so applicable to us!
Pretend Chef says
August 10, 2011 at 1:21 pmThe stuffed zucchini blossoms looks amazing. I've never had them before but my mouth is watering at the thought of trying them sometime.
Kath says
August 10, 2011 at 1:16 pmOh, and I just stumbled your post and pinned that lovely photo on pinterest! 😉
Tina says
August 10, 2011 at 1:16 pmI have never had these but obviously I am missing out. They must be some if you look forward to them arriving at the market. They look pretty tasty.
Lots of good info here, but until I feel comfortable that I have extra time outside of blogging I may venture into some of this. Some of us are not as fast at creating and posting as others. I don't spend 30 hours on one, but I know someone that does!
Kath says
August 10, 2011 at 1:14 pmI really, really want to try your zucchini blossoms! Your second photo has my mouth watering!
Lisa (this litttle piggy) says
August 10, 2011 at 12:22 pmChef D,
Thanks again for the common-sense advice. I need to figure out google+ I found zucchini blossoms again the other week, LOVE them. I look forward to making these. Do you need the sparkling water? As I never seem to have a bottle in the house when I need one?
Val says
August 10, 2011 at 12:20 pmGorgeous! I am obsessed with zucchini blossoms, particularly stuffed blossoms. A recent trip to Tuscany had me ordering the blossoms at every opportune moment. I wish I could give your recipe a try but for some reason zucchini blossoms aren't available in my part of the world.
Curt says
August 10, 2011 at 12:17 pmThis is the second recipe this week I've seen using zucchini blossoms. This looks great.
Stumbleupon is a lot of work and time consuming. In the 5 years I've used it on various sites, I've only hit big once. It gave a little over 3,000 hits in one day, but they were mostly gone in a couple days.
Laural @ Being Healthier says
August 10, 2011 at 12:08 pmthese look so awesome and SO easy to make !!! love the minimal ingredients as well – i can use nearly all from the garden.
Cassie @ Bake Your Day says
August 10, 2011 at 11:31 amI love your rundown of the social media tools! And as a fairly new follower, this is the first time I am seeing zucchini blossoms. Oh. My. Word! I can't wait to make these, my mouth is already watering!
Candace says
August 10, 2011 at 11:00 amI had no idea that you could eat the blossoms until you shared them with us last summer. I've yet to try them; but I am quite sure that when I do, I will love them. Thank you for sharing such an informative post with us. I always learn so much when I visit your blog. I haven't had a chance to try Google+ yet; but, I would love to do so. Have a wonderful day, Candace
Emily@ Life on Food says
August 10, 2011 at 10:56 amI just got my hands on 12 blossoms from a friend. I was at a complete lost as to what to do with them. Thanks for the recipe – its the simpliest I have seen so far and the pictures look the most delicious.
warmvanillasugar says
August 10, 2011 at 10:35 amThis sounds so yummy! I would have never thought to come up with this. Awesome.
BEAR's Mom says
August 10, 2011 at 9:31 amBe still my heart!!!
Elin says
August 10, 2011 at 8:12 amChef Dennis…as usual …salivating just looking at them…feta stuffed zucchini blossoms…I can't get them here so might as well ….lick them off the screen 🙂 Thanks for sharing them …virtual feasting will do for the time being :)))
Dzoli says
August 10, 2011 at 7:59 amThis is one of those delicasies that people, if they don't know it,easy overlook.For me even only in batter and fried ..could eat over and over again.Winter know here but can't wait for them:)
Sandy@EverydaySouthwest says
August 10, 2011 at 6:02 amYes! These blossoms are definitely worth growing your own squash just to get them. They are great with southwest flavors as well!
Thank you so much for your social media advise. I'm trying to learn more about Stumble Upon and follow you there as well.
retete- ina says
August 10, 2011 at 5:37 amvery great recipe.love it very much!
cocinaencantada says
August 10, 2011 at 5:02 amWow these blossoms look divine! I really want to get my hands on some of these but haven't seen them in any grocery stores around here. Maybe I should check a farmer's market?
janet@cupcakestocaviar says
August 10, 2011 at 4:24 amDennis, I am soooo jealous! Out here in rural land, getting anything as interesting as squash blossoms only happens if you grow them yourself and of course, we didn't do our garden this year. But this gets bookmarked and next year darn it… next year. *drools*
Ann says
August 10, 2011 at 4:18 amI love the addition of Feta – nice change up! Thanks for the social media information – I've just joined Tweet deck!
Andrea the Kitchen Witch says
August 10, 2011 at 4:05 amTrue story: This am I was in my garden and noticed how many zucchini blossoms I have and that I really needed to check Chef Dennis' site today to see what he's done with the precious. And then I thought what tag would it be under? Blossoms? Precious?!? Time got away from me and the precious had to wait, until I hopped on Facebook and saw the Precious there, with Chef Dennis and a great new recipe! And I'm a happy Witch 🙂 I will be making these SOON!!
German Mama says
August 10, 2011 at 3:57 amThese look yummy. Next time I have zucchini blossoms I'll try this recipe.
Yummy Mummy says
August 10, 2011 at 3:53 amOh I love squash blossoms. I just did a squash blossom pizza that was beautiful. Come check it out!
I hope you're having a great summer!
Gina says
August 10, 2011 at 3:48 amI'm so glad you found your "precious", I've been wanting some since you paraded them in front of us last year, lol. I still haven't seen them though, sniff, sniff. I will just have to admire yours, you always have great tips. Hope you get some extra sleep.
-GIna-
Barefeet In The Kitchen says
August 10, 2011 at 3:47 amDennis, these look fantastic! Where were you a month or two ago when I was swimming in zucchini and their blossoms? I so very much wanted to try doing something with them, but I was clueless and for whatever reason unable to find any decent recipes!
At any rate, here in the desert, summer gardening is officially over for me. I am saving this recipe to try next year though. (I might luck into trying it this year if I can convince my brother to bring me some of his blossoms!)
I've never seen a sparkling water and flour breading before, but it makes sense. I love the way I learn something new from each of your posts. Thanks again for another great recipe.
Christine's Pantry says
August 10, 2011 at 3:46 amI'm still not sure how Google+ works. Stumbleupon… I agree with you, Chef Dennis. Another great post!
Alan Cooke says
August 10, 2011 at 3:38 amThose look awesome! I must try soon 🙂
Kim Bee says
August 10, 2011 at 3:35 amHi Chef Dennis. I have never had your precious before. I am going to look around and try to find them. I don't like feta so will sub in something else. Another great Ask Chef Dennis post. You know I adore these things and take the advice so to heart. You have helped me so much with your advice. Enjoy your day tomorrow. Wish me luck at the fruit stands this week. I sure hope someone has your precious. Living in boonieland sure has it's draw backs. Toodles.
Jenny @ Savour the Senses says
August 10, 2011 at 3:33 amI just recently joined google+… Still not sure how it works!? Please share any insight (all readers too!) because it seems cool, but I am in the dark. As for stumbleupon, completely agree! Just remember that a lot of those hits won't necessarily mean readers when you are trying to get a good idea of how many readers/followers you have. Another great post Dennis =)