Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Sun-Dried Tomato Tofu Ricotta
Melt-in-your-mouth tender, delicate, and out-of-this-world tasty, stuffed, battered and fried zucchini blossoms take what you know about zucchini flavor to the next level. Sun-dried tomato flavors easy-to-make tofu ricotta, which is paired with spinach to stuff inside the blossoms. Then, fried lightly in a chickpea batter, these delectable orange flowers are a delicacy that need not go untasted!
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
All nutritional values are estimates.
Nutrition
Serving 1 zucchini blossom Calories 80 kcal Carbohydrates 3.1 g Protein 6 g Fat 4.9 g Saturated Fat 0.6 g Sodium 127 mg Potassium 167 mg Fiber 0.8 g Sugar 0.8 g Calcium 100 mg Iron 1 mg
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