One of the main reasons I decided to plant my own zucchini and pumpkins was that I kept hearing about the delicacy that are their blossoms. I have always wanted to try, ever since I witnessed Jamie Oliver make them directly out of his garden. Suddenly, everyone was eating zucchini blossoms and I seemed like the only one not in the know. This morning I woke up to quite a few blossoms on my squash plants, so I spontaneously made this appetizer using whatever I happened to have at home. I now have to wait for another few blossoms to arrive, and I’m hoping to actually harvest some zucchinis soon!

I used this recipe to finally try breading something without using eggs, and am happy to report that it worked incredibly well. I love being able to omit any products coming from animals, I think it’s a great way to slowly but surely eat more vegan dishes. Obviously, this dish isn’t vegan, but at least it’s egg-free.

Ingredients:

Six freshly picked zucchini or pumpkin blossoms

½ cup quark, cream cheese or ricotta
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano and sage)
1 tbsp grated parmigiano
lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste

½ cup water
¼ cup gluten-free flour
¼ tbsp. baking powder

½ cup cornflakes
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Carefully open the blossoms and remove the pod without tearing the flower. Wash the blossoms under running water and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the quark, cream cheese or ricotta (I used one half quark and one half cream cheese), the herbs and the parmigiano. Add lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste.

In another bowl, combine the water, the baking powder and the water until you have a batter that is neither too liquid nor too firm.

Place the cornflakes in a small plastic bag, keep closed with one hand and using our other hand crush the cornflakes using a rolling pin. Place the cornflakes into a third bowl.

Using both hands, hold open the petals and keep open using your left hand. Using your right hand, scoop about one teaspoon of cream cheese-herb-mix into the blossom and carefully push it toward the bottom of the blossom. Fold the petals over the filling, closing the blossom entirely and place into the bowl with the batter. Using a small fork, carefully turn filled blossom around in the batter until it is entirely covered in it. Transfer zucchini blossom into third bowl with the crushed cornflakes turn until entirely breaded. Set aside. Repeat with all other blossoms.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a small pot and fry the blossoms on all sides until the breading is crunchy and golden brown. When done, take them out of the pot and place them on a paper towel, allowing the fat to drain.

You can absolutely serve these with a dip, I would suggest something tomato-based or a chutney. I can also imagine them sitting on top of a salad. We ate them plain and loved them just as they were!