Late Summer Menu Heirloom Tomato and Cheese Tart Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Ricotta and Basil Summer Minestrone Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Asian Plum Sauce Mixed Berry Slump Main Recipe Index

Makes 16 blossoms

Harvesting zucchini blossoms is a great way of controlling the amount of summer squash in the garden, and my local farm stands always have piles of them for sale. I usually pass them over, but then, in the same week, two friends of mine, Barbara Caccavella and Marguerite Scandiffio, separately rhapsodized about how their Italian-American families fried up piles of blossoms every summer. To avoid deep-frying over a hot stove, do what I do--fry them in batches an electric skillet outdoors, and serve them, hot and crisp, right out of the pot.

16 zucchini blossoms
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 teaspoons finely chopped basil
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup club soda, as needed

1. To make the batter, using a fork, stir the flour and salt in a bowl to combine. Gradually whisk in the club soda until combined--there should be a few lumps of flour. Let stand 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
2. Using a small knife, cut a slit down the side of each zucchini blossom, and remove the pistil from inside each blossom. (If a blossom tears, donŐt worry.) Mix the ricotta, basil, and garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Insert a heaping teaspoon of the ricotta mixture inside each blossom through the slit. Be sure that the cheese filling is completely covered by the blossom. Transfer the blossoms to a platter.
3. Place a wire cake rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour enough oil into a large skillet to come halfway up the sides. Heat over high heat until the oil reaches 360°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Fry the blossoms in batches to avoid crowding them in the skillet. One at a time, holding the blossom by the stem, dip the blossom into the batter and remove, letting excess batter drip back into the bowl. There should be only a light coating of batter. Place in the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a wire skimmer, transfer the blossoms to the cake rack to drain. Serve hot.