I was reading an article about the health benefits of eating squash flowers this morning. I suddenly remembered that we actually did this in the fall with some pumpkin blossoms. We prepared them, fried them up and voila! served them as a side dish for dinner. The children enjoyed learning that you could actually eat a flower and when my husband arrived for dinner, he was intrigued. I've since learned that this is a popular Italian tradition, which is awesome since I'm married to an Italiano and have Pisan bambinos! :) Anyhow, here's a simple recipe with some photos. I can't take credit for these beautiful photos ~ found them online since they were better than the ones I took.
Fried Pumpkin Blossom Recipe
Step 1
Wash the pumpkin blossoms in cool water. Gently pat the blossoms dry with paper towels. Leave the stems intact. Set the blossoms aside.
Wash the pumpkin blossoms in cool water. Gently pat the blossoms dry with paper towels. Leave the stems intact. Set the blossoms aside.
Step 2
Prepare your batter. Add the flour, baking powder, (some use parmesan cheese), salt and pepper to the mixing bowl. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Add the water and eggs. Whisk the batter until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Prepare your batter. Add the flour, baking powder, (some use parmesan cheese), salt and pepper to the mixing bowl. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Add the water and eggs. Whisk the batter until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Step 3
Heat the oil in the frying pan to a temperature of 375 degrees F. Dip one blossom at a time into the batter and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Fry only four or five blossoms at a time, ensuring not to crowd the pan. The pumpkin blossoms should not be touching each other in the pan.
Step 4
Fry the blossoms for around two minutes on each side or until they are golden brown, turning once. Remove the pumpkin blossoms with a large slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to drain. Continue to fry the blossoms in batches until they are all cooked. Serve immediately
Heat the oil in the frying pan to a temperature of 375 degrees F. Dip one blossom at a time into the batter and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Fry only four or five blossoms at a time, ensuring not to crowd the pan. The pumpkin blossoms should not be touching each other in the pan.
Step 4
Fry the blossoms for around two minutes on each side or until they are golden brown, turning once. Remove the pumpkin blossoms with a large slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to drain. Continue to fry the blossoms in batches until they are all cooked. Serve immediately
Other edible flowers are:
Daylilies, Lavendar, Violets, Squash Blossoms, Chives & some Roses (caution: read about the type of rose and check if it's edible first).
