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You are here: Home / Appetizers / Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

October 24, 2014

Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

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Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

One of the things I miss most about Boston were my solitary trips into Chinatown. I loved picking up a piece of produce or package that was a complete mystery to me (most labeling was in Chinese), bringing it home and figuring out what it was and how to use it.

Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

Now that we are in LA, those trips have been replaced with Saturday visits with Jeff to Torrance City Farmers Market, a pleasantly monstrous expanse of fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, a few prepared food vendors and a vast array of plants and flowers. Everything is fresh and cheap—we typically leave with enough produce for the week for less than 15 dollars.

Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

As we were leaving the Farmers Market last weekend, I spotted a booth with several boxes lined head to toe with hundreds of zucchini blossoms. I gathered about 12 of the blossoms, which had deep green thick stems and were topped fiery orange petals, for about a dollar. Like most new-to-me produce, I was excited to buy it, but had no idea what to do with it once I brought it home. Taking inspiration from Cadry over at Cadry’s Kitchen, I decided to stuff and batter these, although there are lots of ways to prepare and eat them.

Once slathered in an IPA-kissed beer batter, these stuffed blossoms fried to perfection in minutes. The stems were crisp while the blossoms themselves were satiny, and every bite paired perfectly with fresh basil, creamy cashews and tangy marinara on the side.

Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

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Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

CASHEW-BASIL STUFFED AND BEER-BATTERED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS


  • Author: olivesfordinner.com
  • Total Time: 1 hours
  • Yield: 8-10 blossoms
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Ingredients

for the basil-cashew cheese

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight and drained
  • 1/2 cup almond milk, whisked with 1 tsp coconut vinegar
  • 10 large basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • a few dashes of salt and pepper

for the batter

  • 3/4 cup AP flour
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup beer (I use a strong IPA)

grapeseed oil, for fryingmarinara sauce, for serving


Instructions

1. Puree all of the basil-cashew cheese ingredients together. Set aside.

2. Combine all of the batter ingredients together except for the beer. Make a well in the center, then slowly pour the beer in. Gently mix until smooth, taking care not to overmix. Set aside for about 10 minutes.

3. To stuff the zucchini blossoms, carefully open up the blossom. Remove the pistil from inside, then spoon some of the cheese mixture inside, about 2 tablespoons. Bring the petals back together and gently twist to seal.

4. Pour several inches of oil into a heavy, flat-bottomed Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat. After about 7 minutes, test the oil. There are three ways to do this:

  • Insert a wooden spoon into the oil so it touches the bottom. If bubbles form around the spoon immediately, you are ready to fry.
  • Throw a pinch of batter into the oil. If it poofs up immediately, you are ready to fry.
  • Insert a thermometer into the oil. You are ready to fry once the oil reaches 350 degrees.

5. Once your oil is ready, dip one of the stuffed blossoms into the batter. Make sure it’s evenly coated, then transfer to the hot oil. Allow to fry in batches of only one or two at a time, until they are golden brown all over. Transfer to a paper towel and sprinkle immediately with salt.

6. Repeat with the remaining blossoms, then serve immediately with marinara sauce.

Thanks to Pacific Merchants for sending me the pretty serving vessels you see here! Pictured here are their tapered chop board and two-piece condiment set.

  • Cook Time: 1 hours

If you made this recipe ...

Tag @olivesfordinner on Instagram and hashtag it #olivesfordinner ... thank you!

Cashew-Basil Stuffed and Beer-Battered Zucchini Blossoms

Filed Under: Appetizers, Small Bites, Vegan Cheese Tagged With: basil, cashews, fancypants, homemade vegan cheese, how-to, veganized classics

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. morestomach.com says

    October 24, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    i adore zucchini blossoms, but the season is always so fleeting and they are so expensive here.
    these look so delicious, i am jealous of your market find!

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      October 26, 2014 at 9:49 pm

      Yes, it's funny how the same thing can range so much in price depending on your location! I'm sure they'd be expensive too in Boston, although I never saw them there.

      Reply
  2. Cadry's Kitchen says

    October 25, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Oh, my god, Erin! These look amazing! I so wish that it wasn't 8 or 9 months until squash blossoms would be available here again. I love the beer batter idea. That sounds fabulous. And it's so fun that your blossoms still had the squash attached. Plus, you got such a deal on them! Here they always cost about $3 for a small container of them.

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      October 26, 2014 at 9:50 pm

      Thanks Cadry … and thanks for the inspiration. Beer batter on all the things!

      Reply
  3. Mihl says

    October 27, 2014 at 11:11 am

    I am really sad zucchini season is already over here because your pictures look like the most gorgeous thing ever!

    Reply
  4. christine says

    October 27, 2014 at 11:20 pm

    wow – you get a week's worth of fresh foods for $15??????????? goodness, you do very well! I wish my courgette plants gave me enough blossoms to try this, but in this garden I don't seem to be able to get zucchini plants to thrive, so can't spare the blooms to stuff:( and you really don't tend to see them in the shops around here – so I'll just drool over your photos and turn green with envy – but don't feel guilty, it's ok:)

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      October 28, 2014 at 1:37 pm

      Well, just the fresh produce portion of it. When I compare the Farmer's market prices to Whole Foods, the difference in price is mind boggling. If it helps, I don't think these blooms will be around for several more months. Next time I make a batch (in 2015!), I'll dedicate them to you!

      Reply
    • christine says

      October 30, 2014 at 6:26 pm

      If I tell you that 1 kilo of organic carrots costs at least £1 here, and half a kilo of organic onions 70p, you'll see that you do very well:) I'll look forward to the dedication next summer:)!

      Reply
  5. The VegHog says

    November 3, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    What a wonderful recipe! You already had me at the zucchini blossoms, but then the IPA batter came along! I wish we had fresh zucchini blossoms here in England at the moment.

    the-veghog.blogspot.co.uk

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Erin! I love creating original and delicious vegan recipes and sharing them here. I cook and photograph food with my husband Jeff in Boston. Read More…

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Hi, I'm Erin! I love creating original and delicious vegan recipes and sharing them here. I cook and photograph food with my husband Jeff in Boston. Read More…

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