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Zucchini blossoms were the jewels of the market last week, fat bouquets of them piled on a farmers table, glowing green, gold and orange in the afternoon light.<\/p>\n
We had come to the Watsonville farmers market in search of Mexican produce and found our share of glossy poblano peppers, leafy ezpazote to cook with beans and crunchy purslane, or verdolaga in Spanish.\u00a0 But the gorgeous zucchini blossoms, celebrated all over the Mediterranean as well as in Latin America, were irresistible.\u00a0 They’re only available in the market for a few weeks every year \u2013 about the time everyone has hit their limit of the prolific squash.\u00a0 We went home with two bunches.<\/p>\n
Not until we were driving home did I begin to think about what I would do with my treasures.\u00a0 Zucchini blossom fritatta was a no-brainer.\u00a0 It’s easy and a wonderful showcase for the delicate herbal flavor of the tender blossoms.<\/p>\n
What I really wanted was stuffed and fried zucchini blossoms.\u00a0 I don’t deep\u00a0 fry, though.\u00a0 It’s much too messy, slightly scary,\u00a0 and really isn’t good for me anyway.<\/p>\n
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What I came up with was zucchini blossoms relleno, baked in a casserole with a simple tomato sauce on the side.\u00a0 It’s a takeoff on a dish I used to make out of an old Sunset Mexican cookbook, stuffed with an updated filling I created for chiles relleno.<\/p>\n
The combination of fresh corn, onion, diced chile, and salty queso fresco with the blossoms and an eggy batter is unbeatable.\u00a0 The flavors are fresh and the corn adds nice texture.<\/p>\n
True, it’s not quite as crisp as if the blossoms had been fried but it’s a lot easier to pull off. And much better for your health.<\/p>\n
Stuffing the blossoms is a tad tricky. You need to hold the flowers open with one hand while you spoon the stuffing in with the other and they keep closing up.\u00a0 After that, though, it’s smooth sailing.<\/p>\n
Line a buttered baking dish with the stuffed blossoms, sprinkle with a bit more cheese, top with a thin egg batter and pop it into the oven.\u00a0 While it’s baking, stir together a basic tomato sauce\u2013using canned, chopped tomatoes to cut down on the prep work \u2013 and let it simmer.<\/p>\n
Pull the casserole out of the oven and you have an ideal dish to celebrate the last days of summer.<\/p>\n
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1 small poblano pepper
\n3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
\nabout 1 cup minced white onion, divided use
\n3 cloves garlic, minced, divided use
\n1 medium ear of fresh corn
\nSalt and pepper to taste
\n\u00bd cup crumbled queso fresco or mild feta cheese
\n8 large zucchini blossoms
\n26-oz box or can of chopped tomatoes
\n\u00bd teaspoon dried oregano
\nButter for greasing casserole
\n4 eggs
\n2 tablespoons flour
\n\u00bc teaspoon baking powder<\/p>\n
Char the pepper over an open flame or under a broiler until the skin is evenly black all over, but be careful not to burn the flesh.\u00a0 Place the pepper in a sealed paper bag or in a covered bowl for 10-15 minutes to steam while it cools enough to handle.\u00a0 Meanwhile, cut the corn off the cob with a knife or stripper (I use this cute one<\/a> from Kuhn Rikon).\u00a0 Peel and remove seeds from pepper, then mince.<\/p>\n Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium\u00a0 heat in a small nonstick skillet.\u00a0 Add \u00bd cup of the onion and about a third of the minced garlic and saute gently until onion is soft and translucent.\u00a0 Add corn kernel and minced pepper and cook a few minute more.\u00a0 Cover, lower heat, and continue cooking until corn is tender.\u00a0 You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to keep the mixture moist.\u00a0 Remove lid and take pan off the heat while you rinse and thoroughly dry the blossoms.\u00a0 When mixture has cooled, stir in about \u00be of the cheese, reserving a couple tablespoons.<\/p>\n Preheat oven to 375 degrees.\u00a0 Carefully stuff each blossom about half full, being careful not to tear the petals, and gently twist tops to close.\u00a0 Place stuffed blossoms close together in a greased 7-inch by 10-inch or similar size baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.<\/p>\n In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, flour and baking powder.\u00a0 The batter should be as thin as pancake batter since you want to coat the blossoms rather than bury them.\u00a0 If necessary, add a couple of tablespoons of cold water.<\/p>\n Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and nicely browned.<\/p>\n While the blossoms are baking, saute the remaining onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a 2 quart saucepan for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano and salt to taste and simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes. Add water if the sauce becomes too thick.<\/p>\n Serve baked rellenos with tomato sauce on the side.<\/p>\n Aleta Watson<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zucchini blossoms were the jewels of the market last week, fat bouquets of them piled on a farmers table, glowing green, gold and orange in the afternoon light. We had come to the Watsonville farmers market in search of Mexican produce and found our share of glossy poblano peppers, leafy ezpazote to cook with beans … Continue reading Zucchini blossoms take a stuffing<\/span>