Buongiorno Foodie Friends,
I’m knee deep in celebrating summer already and happy to have the June Gloom behind us…for the most part.
I think many of you know how fond I am of squash blossoms and what a delicacy they are, but for the life of me, it’s like they are some kind of secret whispered between Mexico and Italy?
Yes, they are fleeting, tender, almost too beautiful to eat, yet unforgettable once you do. They are the edible confetti of the garden…here for a moment then gone in a blink. They’re known as ‘Fiori di Zucca’ in Italian and ‘Flor de Calabaza’ in Spanish…both rolling off the tongue charmingly as beautiful in sound as they are in nature.
The short answer to this mystery might be tradition and agriculture, as both countries are deeply tied to cuisines built around the garden. Mexico’s trio of corn, beans & squash naturally produces blossoms in abundance, and Italian ‘Cucina Povera’ or ‘poor cooking’ has always prized ingredients that appear seasonally and must be used right away. There’s just something poetic about honoring an ingredient that refuses to be anything but ephemeral. Squash blossoms ask you to slow down, to cook today what grew this morning, to savor something that won’t be here tomorrow. Mexico and Italy understand this instinctively and celebrate it as do I.
I think they also require a certain kind of cooking philosophy. They aren’t bold, they’re subtle and floral. I think they are often seen as ‘Chef ingredients’ which means they only appear on fine dining restaurant menus, which makes them feel niche rather than every day. But I serve them every day on my popular squash blossom, artichoke, Boursin and pesto flatbread at TATM.
In Italy you can find them everywhere on menus where they are served simply dipped in a Prosecco based batter, fried, and served crispy, like their version of potato chips, dusted with a little finely shaved Parmigiana. In finer restaurants, they are often filled with a cheese blend of some kind before frying….this requires time and effort but if you’ve ever had these you quickly understand why cooks go to all that trouble. I’ve made these numerous times at home served on a simple tomato or roasted red pepper puree… they are one of my favorite all time appetizers and draw raves from others. But there is another way of serving these cheese stuffed treasures without going through the hassle of deep frying…by simply baking them in the oven briefly until the cheese is warmed up and then served on your choice of either hot or cold sauce.
I’ve posted my recipe below so hope you give it a try this summer….you’ll be happy you did.
You’re Welcome…
David with Tino’s ‘Bark of Approval’
