Zucchini blossoms are not just beautiful flowers, but edible ones, too. If this leaves you wondering exactly how you might eat these slightly hirsute, beautifully orange and rather alien looking flowers, then I have an answer for you: stuffed them, batter them, and fry them, of course! Italians figured this out ages ago, so it’s time for you to do that same.
Truly, these melt-in-your-mouth stuffed zucchini blossoms will be the highlight of your summer. Packed with a creamy sun-dried tomato tofu ricotta, coated in an airy yet crispy chickpea batter, and then fried ever so lightly, these are tender, delicate, and superbly tasty – a unique and almost otherworldly delight that you can make more easily than you might think!
Read on to discover some of various tips and tricks so that your attempt at vegan stuffed zucchini blossoms is a successful one, and/or uncover content to inform and to inspire you to make these stuffed zucchini blossoms for the first time with confidence!
How to master tofu ricotta stuffed…anything!
Chickpea flour: the one flour to rule them all?
Everything Zucchini Blossom: What, Where, and How!
What is a zucchini blossom anyways?
The ones you’re likely to buy from a vender and eat as stuffed zucchini blossoms are the male blossoms from the zucchini plant, as denoted by the thin-necked stem. Zucchini plants are monoecious, meaning they have both male and female sexual reproductive structures – an equal opportunity squash. And because the male blossoms don’t produce fruit (a.k.a. the long green zucchini we know and love), once they’ve pollinated the female flowers they’re quite free to be plucked and prepared for good eats.
What do these little flowers taste like?
They’re very lightly zucchini-like in taste (no surprise), but also texturally very, very delicate once cooked; they are literally melt-in-your-mouth tender, and so prove the perfect vessel for a delicious stuffing.
Where can you find zucchini blossoms?
Apart from growing them yourself, I would recommend farmer’s markets or natural food stores. Some vegetable farmers will usually have a small mess of zucchini blossoms laying around in some unvisited nook of their tent. You can buy a giant bouquet of blossoms for next to nothing, too; they’re generally pretty inexpensive.
How do you best stuff stuffed zucchini blossoms?
Load the blossom gently with about a measured tablespoon of the tofu ricotta filling, and then twist the top, careful not to displace the filling on the inside while doing so. This is the most tried and tested way of ensuring that your stuffed zucchini blossoms stay closed whilst being battered and fried. You can also fold the ends of each petal inwards towards the filling, if the twist method isn’t working out for you, but this can often leave holes through which your filling can escape.
Mastering Tofu Ricotta: What You Need To Know
I love stuffing things with tofu ricotta. And if this stuffed zucchini blossoms recipe isn’t enough for you don’t believe me on the matter, here’s a list of recipes that I’ve published to prove it:
Weird flex, I know. Clearly, I’ve been down this road quite a bit and know my way around tofu ricotta, so trust me to guide you through this voyage of flavor; the wonders of tofu ricotta must not go unexplored!
Here are 3 helpful tips towards your impending mastery of tofu ricotta:
- You’re going to want to use extra-firm or firm tofu for this tofu ricotta, like Nasoya’s Extra-Firm Tofu, or Simple Truth is good too. In my opinion, it simply has a more ricotta-cheese-like texture when crumbled up and then pulsed lightly in the food processor.
- Before you process the tofu, you’re going to want to press it for about 30 minutes. Not having an excess of moisture in the tofu will allow it to soak up other flavors, as well as rid it of that weird, squidgy texture (btw – I can’t believe squidgy is an actual word, but it is).
- Be absolutely sure when you’re processing the ricotta not to overdo it! You don’t want a smooth paste; that’s not the spirit of ricotta. You want little lumps and bumps in it, so don’t be as heavy-handed with the pulse as you are with the gas pedal.
And there you have it. Follow my advice, and you should have an amazing tofu ricotta filling for your stuffed zucchini blossoms.
Chickpea Flour: the one flour to rule them all
For the gluten-intolerant, this stuff is like magical fairy dust that’s edible. And indeed, even those who can tolerate and digest gluten will have no problem enjoying the stupendously satisfying and incredibly versatile ingredient that is chickpea flour.
Capable of nearly any feat that regular all-purpose flour is, with the exception being maybe sweet treats like cookies and cakes (maybe a limit to test in the future?), chickpea flour is exceptionally useful as a binder as well as for a way to impart a slightly savory and subtle bean-y flavor to anything.
I use it all the time in batters, partly because it’s gluten-free (I got all the Celiacs’ backs), but also because I simply love the way that it coats that which it’s battering, and the way it fries up nicely, too. It’s a stalwart flour and tends holds together of its own accord, yet another reason why it’s a great egg-replacement in batters. And what’s more is that it’s a great source of fiber and protein, as it does originate from the super awesome and naturally protein-packed garbanzo bean.
Once again, I have a plethora recipes to prove my claims about chickpea batter, so here are a couple to showcase its versatility:
I could go on an on about this stuff, but really you just have to try it out for yourself. The batter in this recipe is very fluffy and light and airy and crispy. Words alone aren’t enough to do it justice; your taste buds have to be the ultimate judge.
Vegan Zucchini Blossom Recipe
This is a superb stuffed zucchini blossoms recipe that need not go untasted. Stuffing zucchini is quite easy and rewarding, as the end product is potentially something like you’ve never quite experienced before.
So scour your farmer’s markets and natural food stores, or grow some zucchini in pot, and prepare yourself for some delicious stuffed zucchini blossoms!
I sincerely hope that you enjoyed these stuffed zucchini blossoms. If you did, let me know by leaving a recipe rating and/or a comment below.
Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Sun-Dried Tomato Tofu Ricotta
Equipment
- Large pan, for frying
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 16 large zucchini blossoms
- ¼ inch olive oil, for frying
For the tofu ricotta stuffing
- ½ (7-ounces) block of extra-firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (about 6 slices), pressed between paper towels to remove excess oil and then roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons capers, with brine
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Dash of salt and black pepper
- 4 – 5 cups spinach
- Some olive oil, for sautéing the spinach
For the chickpea batter
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅔ cup soda water or sparkling water, unflavored
Instructions
- Begin by cutting half a block of extra-firm tofu in a couple even sections, and then press it for 30 minutes between two cutting boards with something moderately heavy on top.
- Crumble the tofu into a food processor, and add with it the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, capers, dried thyme, and dash of salt and pepper. Pulse just until everything is incorporated, making sure leave some lumps and bumps.
- After that, briefly sauté 4 – 5 cups of spinach (preferably with the poky stems removed) in a pan with a bit of olive oil over medium heat. This should take no more than 2 – 3 minutes, or until the spinach is fully wilted, but not overly mushy. Add along with the tofu ricotta to a large mixing bowl, and mix them together well.
- Now you're ready to stuff the zucchini blossoms. Firstly, pluck off the little spiky spurs at the base of the blossoms first – you don't need to eat those. Then, take a modest tablespoon of the ricotta stuffing, part the petals, and stuff it inside gently. Next, carefully twist the tops of the flowers to close them, ensuring the stuffing will not escape once battered and fried.
- Once most of your blossoms are stuffed, preheat about ¼-inch of olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or high-lipped pan. Then, when the oil is hot enough to fry, combine all the chickpea batter ingredients in a shallow, accessible bowl. Batter the stuffed blossoms, and then fry them in the oil three or so at a time for 2 – 3 minutes, or until crispy golden brown. Transfer the blossoms to a paper towel in a lightly warm oven until the other blossoms are done.
- Alternatively, you can serve them right away with, and with whatever else you'd like, but they're quite good on their own – no sauces needed!
Notes
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
These were very good and filling. The next day I re-heated them for a few minutes in the oven and they were delicious and almost as crispy. Just a bit of hot sauce to season and a green salad on the side. YUM.
Good to know they reheated well! A green salad sounds like the perfect foil, too: something fresh and crunchy to offset the fried food.
These look great! I plan to make them as soon as I can get my hands on some blossoms!
Yay! Good luck!