I love to order squash blossoms at Italian restaurants. They’re somehow indulgent and delicate all at the same time. We had tons of blossoms coming up in the garden along with our zucchini and I decided it was time to experiment! My mother and I have been Vegan and Gluten free this summer, so that made the experiment even more, shall we say, interesting!

Mine were simple and plain, not stuffed. They are Vegan, Gluten/Soy/Corn free.
They wound up being so easy and so delicious! So here, as promised, is my version of what might pass for a “recipe:”

Mix up a batch of amazing, delicious, nutritious Chickpea Batter
Pick, prep and clean the Squash Blossoms
Dip them in the batter and allow the excess to run off
Gently fry them in a pan or skillet “Low & Slow”
Remove them and strain on a paper towel.
Serve plain or with a dipping sauce

Chickpea Flour

In a mixing bowl combine:
1 cup Chickpea Flour
1 nice pinch salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
Any dried herbs of your choice (turmeric/curry, cumin/onion powder, or herbs de Provence are some nice variations)

Then stir in
1 cup Coconut Milk
1 splash of champagne or club soda
Mix thoroughly and adjust the thickness to your preference
(adding a bit more coconut milk or soda water to lighten it up)

Pick, prep and clean the Squash Blossoms

I looked all over the internet on info about which to pick, when and how to prepare. Here's what I learned from reading, and also from what I observed in the garden:

There are male and female flowers – the males stick straight up and out on a thin stem (image on the right), while the females grow out of the little beginnings of what will become the zucchini (image on the left).

Female Flower - with growing Zucchini attached below

You can pick and eat both, however, leave at least one male on the plant to pollinate the subsequent females. Also don’t pick a female flower off of a zucchini that’s not already formed (if you pull the flower off a zucchini that’s too small, it will not ripen into fruit and will weirdly rot). So pick and choose with this in mind.

To prep the blossoms, reach into the flower and pull/twist out the bumpy center (you’ll find it’s appropriately Yang on the male plants and Yin on the females). Some of the petals ripped, which was totally fine in my case.

To clean, submerge the blossoms in a bowl of cold water and gently wash. Dump the dirty water and repeat. Don’t rinse the blossoms under running water, they’re too delicate.

Dip them in the batter and allow the excess to run off

Gently fry them in a pan or skillet “Low & Slow”

Use coconut oil (or oil of your choice) and maybe add a bit of toasted sesame oil for flavor. The key with frying things in chickpea flour is Low & Slow – cook over a low heat, slowly. Don’t get impatient and flip them too soon.

Remove them and strain on a paper towel

Serve plain or with a dipping sauce

(Marinara, aoli, miso etc.)

Variations:

Stuff with cheese, tofu, rice, quinoa – whatever you might want!
A little goes a long way.

Bake instead of fry
(which might be especially good if you stuff with something heavy like rice)

Summer Recipe - Squash Blossoms