Have you ever tried a zucchini blossom before? Delicately flavored and conveniently stuffable, they are often brimming with a cheesy filling, lightly battered and deep fried. As much as I love deep fried anything, I decided to skip the mess and tried baking a lighter version of the typical preparation.
Recipe
A Saturday farmers’ market trip yielded these just-picked squash blossoms, fragrant basil and some amazing freshly made ricotta. (Once you’ve had fresh ricotta, you will not be able to go back to the kind you would find next to the cream cheese at the grocery store.)
The hardest part of this recipe is finding the right high-quality ingredients. Once you’ve got them, all that is left to do is chop some basil, crush some garlic, crack an egg, and stir in some Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and ground pepper. I carefully spooned the filling into the blossoms, twisted the tops shut and sprinkled them with breadcrumbs. After 20 minutes in the oven, the filling will firm up a bit and the breadcrumbs will get toasty. It’s delicious, and no one has to know this impressive looking appetizer only took 15 minutes to prepare.
Baked Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Basil Ricotta
A Delvious original recipe
Prep time + Bake time: 15 minutes + 20 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh ricotta
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten
6 large zucchini blossoms, rinsed with stamens removed
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a sheet tray with non-stick cooking spray or butter.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, basil, garlic and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Once you are satisfied with the taste of the filling, stir in the beaten egg. (If you are making the filling ahead of time, refrigerate until you are ready to bake the blossoms.)
4. Carefully spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the filling into each blossom. Gently twist the tops closed and place them side by side on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly on top of the stuffed blossoms.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted. Serve warm.
3 Comments, Comment or Ping
this looks amazing…and is incredibly delvious! i need to try this
July 26th, 2010
Okay, you had me at the Dr. Pepper ribs, but this looks and sounds really good, too! I love fried squash blossoms, and this will definitely be an interesting alternative!
August 9th, 2010
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