Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Thought I would share a picture of Olive walking with a stick. I'm not sure if it is her breed or not, but she always loves to walk with a tennis ball or stick in her mouth. The ongoing problem is when we get back to the car as this is when she wants to bring her treasures back home.

I had so much fun stuffing these squash blossoms the other night. At first they were to be appetizers before dinner. Then after making a little over a dozen, we realized dinner was out and a salad was in. There was just too much food. If you ever have a chance to pick some up at a farmers market or grow them yourself, try making these, they are so simple and delicious.

Back in the day my mother in-law would make these by frying them, not stuffing them and adding them to a frittata. Then, the next day she would turn what was left over from the frittata and stuff into two pieces of bread like a sandwich for my husband to take to school. How delicious does that sound?

Ingredients:

canola oil for frying

For batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sparkling water
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

2 ounces goat cheese (room temperature)
2 tablespoons cream cheese (room temperature)
2 teaspoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh basil (roughly chopped)
12 to 15 small cherry tomatoes (if large, cut in half) (roasted for 20 minutes at 350F with a little olive oil and salt)
12 to  15 zucchini blossoms

To prepare:

First prepare the zucchini blossoms by gently rinsing the blossoms under water and then removing the sepals that grow from the base of the blossom.

Next remove the stamen/pistil from the center.

Let sit and dry on a clean towel until ready to stuff.

In a small bowl combine goat cheese, cream cheese, milk and basil. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Holding blossom add tomato and then cheese filling, leave enough room to close and twist end of petals to close.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, water and salt until smooth. Set aside.

In a large heavy pot add oil, enough to fill pan a couple of inches. Heat over medium heat until oil reaches 350 degrees. (Throw in a piece of bread and it's ready when bread is brown in about 1 minute). Dip stuffed blossoms in batter, allowing excess to drip off. Fry 1 to 2 minutes each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Recipe has been adapted from Giada De Lauretiis, The Food Network.