When I was growing up, everyone loved my mom’s
salad. Even kids used to beg her to bring it to potlucks. Friends invited
to dinner would eagerly ask, “Are you making that salad?”
It was a kitchen-sink concoction: Iceberg lettuce,
other seasonally appropriate vegetables, cheeses (including lots of
Parmesan), shredded lunchmeats, hard-boiled eggs, and homemade croutons,
tossed with a good Italian vinaigrette. What really blew everyone away,
though, were the flowers. In early spring she’d throw in handfuls of
violets. Later it might be violas or pansy petals; later still it was sage
or chive blossoms. Some added flavor, others just visual appeal — but
they all contributed an exotic note to Mom’s salad.
Humanity has been eating flowers for millennia; the
first written record of flowers as food was made in 140 B.C. The list of
edible flowers is long — check out a chart of edible flowers, at
www.homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm — but remember
that it’s important to ensure that flowers intended for consumption
haven’t been sprayed with insecticides or other harmful chemicals.
Among the most common and delicious culinary flowers
are squash blossoms. They’re used in Spain and Italy, as well as in
Central and South America and Mexico, where squash blossom appear not only
as food but also stylized in decorative art. Preparations range from taco
fillings to an elegant classic soup, crema de
flores de calabaza, that belies claims that
Mexican cuisine is unsophisticated. In Italy, squash blossoms are stuffed
— sometimes with baby squashes still attached — with a
tablespoon or so of herbed chèvre or ricotta, then baked. They need
to be slightly wilted to make a neat package. Some recipes call for them to
be blanched, but I think that method risks overcooking (it only takes
seconds); they must then be drained, which is a hassle. Setting them in the
sun for about 15 minutes after cutting usually wilts them enough. Brush the
blossoms with olive oil and bake in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes,
until the cheese is heated through. Serve as is or on a light tomato sauce.
Harvesting squash blossoms is easy (easiest of all,
of course, is buying them at the farmers’ market). All squashes
— from zucchini to pumpkins and their relatives the melons and
cucumbers (whose flowers are small and not generally eaten) — have
both male and female flowers. They’re easy to distinguish: The
females have the fruits (baby squashes) attached to the bottom, a pistil
emerges from the flower’s center, and the bottoms are larger (some
things are universal); the males are just attached to the stems. The males
need to pollinate the females, but by late morning they’ll have done
their duty and can be picked, as can the females once the baby squashes
have begun forming.
A few years ago we had an unexpected squash-blossom
bonanza when pumpkin seeds sprouted from our compost pile and crawled
outward in all directions. Harvesting a half-pound each day for weeks, I
sautéed and froze some and tried out a bunch of recipes (including
that wonderful Mexican soup). This was a favorite.
Contact Julianne Glatz at realcuisine.jg@gmail.com
SQUASH-BLOSSOMFRITTATA
Frittatas are common in Italy and Spain (where
they’re called tortillas). The first cooking method below is traditional. It also
— as I can personally attest — has tremendous potential to
create a tremendous mess. Experienced frittata makers can undoubtedly pull
it off, but I’ve never gotten to that point. The second is the
easiest and the one I use most often. The third is a combination of the
first two. It’s slightly more involved than the second but is
mess-proof and indistinguishable from traditional frittatas. I use it when
making frittatas for guests.
10 to 12 blossoms from zucchini or other summer
squashes
2 tablespoons butter, divided
Six large eggs
1/3 cup slivered scallion
1/2 cup slivered basil leaves or coarsely torn
flat-leaf parsley
(or a combination), very loosely
packed, divided
1/2 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (chèvre) or feta
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
for garnish, optional
Check the squash blossoms and remove any squash
beetles or other bugs. (It’s best to do this outside.) Cut off and
discard the stems, leaving the small bulbous base. Tear off the sepals (the
little green hairy spikes that protrude around the base) and discard them.
Cut or pull off the petals and set them aside. Cut
the bases in half.
Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the squash-blossom bases and cook
for a few minutes, stirring, until they are just tender. Add the petals and
cook until they wilt, about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the stove,
stir in the scallion, and let the mixture come to room temperature.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until well combined,
but don’t overbeat. Stir in the cheese and half of the basil/parsley,
reserving the rest. Add the cooled contents of the skillet and season to
taste with the salt and pepper.
Wipe the skillet clean, add the remaining tablespoon
of butter, and return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. When
the butter is bubbling, swirl it to coat the bottom of the skillet and pour
in the egg/squash-blossom mixture. Shake the pan gently. Complete the
frittata in one of the following ways:
1. Stir the egg mixture for several minutes without
touching the bottom of the skillet. When the bottom of the frittata has
solidified, flip the pan over onto a plate, then slide the upside-down
frittata back into the skillet. Repeat this process until the frittata is
cooked through.
2. After the frittata has formed a solid mass on the
underside, transfer the skillet to a broiler that has been turned to high
heat. When the frittata has formed a solid “crust” on top, stir
that cooked surface into the liquid egg mixture underneath and return the
skillet to the broiler. Check every few minutes, folding the cooked top
into the middle, which will thicken and eventually solidify. Continue until
the frittata is cooked through. Remove the skillet from the broiler and let
it stand 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the frittata upside down to serve.
3. Follow step 2 until the frittata’s center is
creamy and almost solidified, then flip it onto a plate or skillet of the
same size and continue the process until the frittata is completely cooked
through, as in step 1. This has the advantage of giving the frittata the
traditional rounded edge shape without the mess and hassle of the first
method.
Turn the frittata onto a large platter and cut it
into wedges or squares. Garnish with grated cheese and the reserved herbs.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves two to six.
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2008.
