So I have been on a very obvious “kick” lately... edible flowers. I am not sure where it has come from! I guess my desire to not waste anything...? Maybe COVID has made me into this person, maybe I already was... it’s unclear. Regardless, I tried making fried stuffed zucchini blossoms (an Italian delicacy) in the air fryer and they turned out quite delicious!
I can definitely see the appeal, and the fact that they are so delicate and light, I can see why they are the perfect addition to an Italian meal! Besides, how cool of an appetizer is a fried flower?
They are not pretty, but they are super simple to make and easy to adjust to your own liking!
The goat cheese was key for me. Ricotta sometimes can be a gross texture for people and my husband is one of them! Personally, I could eat it straight out of the tub (and I do, often), but it makes him gag thinking about it. So, adding in the goat cheese (which has a similar texture to cream cheese) made the filling super creamy and delicious. Plus, it was already flavored with garlic, so that was one less ingredient I needed to use.
Honestly, the actual blossom tasted something like zucchini, but also kind of like a potato chip...? Somewhere in the middle of that. The real show stopper is the filling. I am definitely going to play with the recipe and see what variations I can come up with.
Also, the blossoms were very delicate, so beware when preparing. As you can see, I ripped some of the petals, letting some of the yummy cheeses ooze out. Fortunately the mixture still kind of held so I still got to eat the cheese!
Fried Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms (in the Air Fryer)
Ingredients
1/4 cup garlic goat cheese
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup flour
1 cup soda water (I used lime Bubly)
Recipe
Clean the blossoms thoroughly, removing the spiky green things at the base of the flower, and the pistil and stamen. Rinse out the inside of the flower to remove any pollen that has fallen off. Set blossoms on a paper towel and let dry.
Combine the cheeses and egg until mixture is smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and soda water. This will be the batter.
Use a piping bag (or ziplock that you cut a hole in the corner, if you are fancy like me) to fill the blossoms with up to 2 tbsp (-ish) of the cheese mixture. Twist the end to close the flower.
Dip in the batter, and place in the air fryer. Set the air fryer at 400 for about 8 minutes. They should be crispy. Note: If they are larger blossoms, you may need to add a few extra minutes.
Enjoy immediately!
