Her love blossoms for zucchini flowers
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Zucchini and squash blossom fritatta.
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Summer squash can be one dull vegetable. Leave it on the vine for just a moment too long and it swells up like a water balloon -- and doesn't taste much better. The field is dominated by zucchini and yellow squash, so mundane that horticulturists have barely bothered to give them specific names.
A well-chosen, properly sized zucchini can be delicious, but there's more than one reason that summer squash never receives the attention showered on other summer staples such as corn and tomatoes.
For all their prosaic qualities, these tender cucurbits have hidden qualities, nature's version of a free gift with purchase: the blossoms. One of the season's prettiest, most evanescent offerings, these bright yellow and orange flowers on delicate green stems seem to symbolize everything delicious about the season.
Summer and winter squash all have edible blossoms, which can be used interchangeably, with some attention paid to size. They're in season from late spring through early fall, and can often be found at Italian and Latin American specialty markets, as well as at specialty grocery stores. The best place to find them is farmers markets, where they will likely be cheaper and fresher. They are highly perishable, so use them as soon as possible.
If you're picking them from your own garden, be sure to take the male, rather than the female blossoms -- only the latter actually grow into squash. But don't pick all your male blossoms, as they're needed for pollination. Male blossoms have thinner, more delicate stems, while female blossoms have tiny squash at the base. The Post-Gazette's Backyard Gardener Doug Oster recommends picking them in the morning, when most of the males will be open.
But all the things I love about the blossoms -- their brief life, their delicacy -- also mean that I rarely cook them myself. Stuffed squash blossoms are impressive and delicious, whether fried, steamed or baked, but they're also fussy and best made to order, too much work for a warm summer's day.
Then a friend served me for brunch a squash blossom fritatta, a gorgeous mass of yellows and greens, the flowers just a crowning touch to delicate zucchini layered with eggs, ricotta salata and oregano.
First Published August 18, 2011 12:00 am
