ANG POMPANO: Some memories are so vivid you can almost taste them. For me, that's the taste of fried squash blossoms fresh from my Nonna’s (grandmother's) garden. I can still picture her gently plucking the bright yellow blooms early in the morning. "You have to pick them before they close in the heat of the day, or the flowers will trap bees inside," she’d say. Back in her kitchen, she'd wash them, let them dry on a cloth, and then, with a simple egg and flour batter, fry them until they were golden delights.
For years, the family recipe was the only one I knew. I thought it was perfect until the "nostalgic food" trend brought squash blossoms to a local restaurant menu. Their version was stuffed with goat cheese. My grandmother would have probably shaken her head at that one. I was skeptical, but one bite of that creamy, tangy surprise proved me wrong. We went back three times that month just for that appetizer. The restaurant may be gone now, but the memory of that flavor lingered, inspiring me to try my hand at making them at home.
I've always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, so I decided to give this dish a modern makeover. I swapped Nonna's pan-frying for the air fryer to make it a bit healthier. For the batter, I skipped the traditional egg and flour and used a simple pancake mix. And I mixed a touch of honey into the goat cheese filling to mellow its tangy flavor.
The result wasn't the same as Nonna's, and it wasn't quite like the restaurant's, but everyone agreed they were delicious in their own way. And I can't ask for more than that.
What about you? Have you ever dared to tamper with one of your family's classic recipes? Let me know in the comments.
Want to win a copy of your choice of When It's Time for Leaving, or Blood Ties and Deadly Lies? Just leave your email address with your comment and you'll be entered into a drawing.
Ingredients
12 squash blossoms
2 cups of pancake mix
1 ½ cups of cold water
4 oz. pack of goat cheese
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup olive oil for brushing
Note: Don’t like goat cheese? Substitute ricotta and leave out the honey.
Steps
Pick the flowers early in the morning before they close.
Mix two cups pancake mix with 1 ½ cups of water.
In another bowl mix the goat cheese and honey.
Fill each flower with the honey and goat cheese mix. Twist the end of the pedals to close.
Drag the flowers through the pancake batter until they are covered.
Put the flowers in an air fryer basket.
Brush on olive oil.
Air fry for twelve minutes at 375°.
Serve with a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Prosecco. There’s nothing better. Here’s to you, Nonna. I like to think you’d understand, right after smacking me with a wooden spoon.
Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, publisher and blogger. He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency, and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, both published by Level Best Books. In addition to his writing, Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and serves as co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He blogs about food on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their two rescue dogs.
When It’s Time for Leaving by Ang Pompano
Al DeLucia walked away from the police—and his past. But when his long-lost father leaves him a detective agency in Savannah, Al finds himself trapped between family secrets and a murder on the agency’s dock. Partnered with Maxine Brophy, a fierce detective who doesn’t trust him, Al is pulled into a deadly search through Savannah and the Okefenokee Swamp—where the truth about the case, and his father, may cost him everything.
Blood Ties and Deadly Lies by Ang Pompano
Al DeLucia returns to Sachem Creek expecting a kayak race and a chance to confront his childhood bully, Abe Cromwell. Instead, he finds a dead lawyer, a web of deceit, and Abe claiming they’re brothers by DNA. Reluctantly joined by Maxine Brophy, his formidable partner and girlfriend, Al dives into a murder investigation that exposes land swindles, hidden maps, and buried family secrets. In a town where the past won’t stay buried, Al must face truths that could upend everything.
If you try the recipe let me know how you like it. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks, Ang
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