Place Leftover Food in Zucchini Flowers
If you’ve planted zucchini in your garden this year, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the beautiful orange and yellow flowers that grow alongside (and on) the fruit. The flowers are edible and beautiful, with a pleasant fresh aroma reminiscent of zucchini, only slightly more herbal and (obviously) floral. You can chop the flowers and sprinkle them on salads and pizzas, fold them into quesadillas, or mix them with egg dishes. Most people stuff them with cheese and fried, which is a very good idea, but recently I’ve started stuffing mine with leftover takeaway food.
Much like mushrooms and baked potatoes , zucchini flowers are a fantastic remedy for just about any last little meal you hang out in a takeout box. I recently stuffed a few flowers with leftover minced pork with garlic and cold, frozen bulgogi fries and both were pretty good.
How to collect zucchini inflorescences
If you buy flowers from the store, make sure they are bright and orange with not faded, bright-looking petals. If you pick them in your garden, pick them in the morning when they are fully open and only pick male flowers.
Distinguishing male from female flowers is quite easy. Male flowers grow on a long, thin stem, while female flowers grow on the zucchini itself, which can look like a plump stem if the fruit is fairly young. Male flowers also have single, tapered stamens in the middle of the flower, while female flowers have a stigma that looks like a collection of tiny, bumpy fingers.
Collect the male flowers by prying them off the plant, taking about an inch of the stem along with the flower. Don’t take them all; leave a few so they can pollinate the female flowers, otherwise there will be no more zucchini.
How to cook and eat zucchini flowers
The sooner you eat the flowers, the better they will taste, but you can store them by wrapping them in a damp paper towel, sealing them in a freezer bag, and placing them in your fresher vegetable drawer.
When you’re ready to eat the flowers, peel them off by gently rinsing them in a bowl of cold water and then placing them on paper towels to dry. Remove the stamens by gently opening the flower petals and pinching them off with your fingers. Don’t panic if you rip the flower a little – you’re going to cook and eat it – but try to minimize the damage.
Now you can chop and sprinkle the flowers with pasta, salads, pizza or grilled meats, or sauté them in butter as a simple summer treat. However, as I mentioned earlier, I like to stuff them with leftover food.
How to stuff and fry zucchini flowers
First, you need to decide what you are going to stuff them with. Cheese is a very popular option, and it’s a great opportunity to outbid the food processor and make cheese with whatever bits and pieces you have. However, any leftovers will do if they can be finely chopped and placed in a flower. The leftover cheese fries are exceptionally delicious – the cheese and potatoes merge to form a fatty, carbohydrate-laden mass – but you can also use fried rice, noodle dishes, mashed potatoes, and more! Things are good! Search the refrigerator and grind everything to a flower state.
Next, you will need to select the dough. This one from Bon Appetit is very simple and works well, but feel free to use it and add parmesan, pepper, or MSG. Also, don’t get hung up on what’s called “dough.” I recently made one by adding water to a cup of self-rising flour until smooth (a few lumps are okay) and thick enough to cover a piece of food, then adding about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and shaking a lot. MSG. It worked great and tasted great.
Pour a few inches of oil into a tall skillet, Dutch oven, or stainless steel pot and bring to 350 ℉. Stuff the flowers as fully as possible without breaking the buds, and gently twist the end to (sort of) seal the whole thing. Don’t worry if small pieces of filling stick out, the dough will hold everything together.
Dip the stuffed flowers in the batter and drain off the excess, then place them in the oil and fry for a few minutes on each side, until they turn golden brown. Work in batches to leave enough space between the buds to cook evenly. When they are golden and crispy, remove them from the oil with a spider or slotted spoon and place on paper towels to dry. Serve and enjoy immediately, with or without sauce.