ever since i was a child
summer meant
long days in the pool
big family gatherings
and
fiori fritti
squash blossoms
picked
before the dew dried
gently washed
stemmed
stuffed
battered
and
fried
i picked my first flowers of the season
this weekend
filled them with
fresh chevre, basil & parmesan
dipped them in really cold batter
and simply fried in olive oil
delicious
for the batter
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 cup sparkling water
2-3 ice cubes
more salt for sprinkling on the fried goodies when they come out of the oil
whisk together the flour, egg, salt, pepper and sparkling water. add the ice cubes and place in the fridge while you heat the oil and prepare the flowers. the trick for a crispy batter is to have it very cold.
place about 6" of vegetable oil in a sturdy pot---careful to leave another 3-4" from the top of the oil to the top of the pan for safety.
dip the stuffed flowers in the batter and let the excess run off. fry in the hot oil until begins to brown and is quite crispy.