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
I’m not a fan of goat cheese but I think it would be good with Boursin cheese. Love the modern twists and the story behind it! 💕
ReplyDeleteyes, Boursin!
DeleteBeth and Lucy, I think just about any creamy cheese would work here. But if you’re going for that herby flavor, Boursin really nails it. No need to grab the store-bought kind either. I like this homemade version (from Live Eat Learn) that lets me tweak down the garlic.:
Delete👉 https://www.liveeatlearn.com/homemade-boursin-cheese/
Oh, to be able to make boursin at home! What a TREAT! Thank you for including this recipe!
DeleteGreat story Ang! I think your nonna would enjoy these, and I bet she would forgive you !
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chris. Yeah, I think she'd forgive me for doing just about anything except for using garlic.
DeleteI think your Annette made these for us once--they were delicious! I love hearing about your Nonna:)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Roberta. I think she did. Annette would rather not stuff them or if she does, she uses ricotta. Glad you liked the Nonna story. Her family was from Northern Italy and my grandfather was from the south with made for some interesting meals.
DeleteThank you for the Air Fried Stuffed Squash Flowers recipe. While I don’t have an air fryer, my bff does. This one will be one of those recipes I forward to her with a hint of her fixing it when we get together the next time. 😊
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think ALL recipes have to be adjusted or changed a bit over time. What was once a can of something in a recipe, becomes so many ounces because can sizes changed over time. Maybe an ingredient readily available because everyone had it in their garden, isn’t available now when most don’t have any sort of garden. It means adjusting the recipe using a substitution of some sort. Food on the plate is all about taste. If you can adjust a recipe, whether by choice or need, and get the end result of the taste that evokes that memory, then to me you’ve been successful copying a recipe, while maybe not true to it. An example of this that I can remember, was my mom making lasagna that was taught to her by an Italian woman that lived next to us on an Army base many years ago. After retiring and moving back to Arkansas, one couldn’t find ricotta cheese in stores at all back in the 60’s. Mom did her research and found that while different, cottage cheese mashed up worked.
All that said to say your Nonna, while stunned at first, would be happy. After you, making your version still made you smile while thinking of her. A great tribute to both the woman and the recipe.
Thank you so much for the fabulous chance to win one of your books! Would love the opportunity to read and review.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Mary, I agree. Recipes are living things, always changing to fit the time, place, and what ingredients are available. Immigrants especially had to adapt when they came here, making do with what they could find. Just like your mom did with the lasagna. It’s a perfect example of how substitutions don’t take away from tradition, they keep it alive. Cottage cheese in place of ricotta might have been a necessity then, but the love and care she put into the dish is what made it memorable. I think you’re right. My Nonna would have been surprised at first, but she’d be proud that her recipe is still making people smile (even if an air fryer is involved!).
DeleteI never had squash blossoms but I do enjoy fried squash. Deborah
ReplyDeleteDeborah, you might like them. If you try them either fried or air fried, let me know what you think.
DeleteWhat a beautiful (and delicious) tribute to your nonna, Ang. I still remember loving the zucchini blossoms that my cousin made for us in his Italian restaurant many years ago. (I believe he used a ricotta based stuffing.) I like your goat cheese adaptation, and your air frying makes it more accessible for home cooks. Cheers for the unique recipe and wonderful foodie memories!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cleo! I think part of the fun, at least for me as a kid, was that I was eating flowers. Maybe that’s why Leslie Budewitz’s lavender recipes fascinate me. My wife goes the ricotta route too. Glad you liked the goat cheese twist!
DeleteWhat a wonderful memory of your nonna, Ang! I've never had squash blossoms before but with the addition of the goat cheese and air fried, they sound amazing... I'll have mine with a glass of bubbly, please!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the story, Kim. I think we can both agree that food is a great way to stay connected to those we’ve lost. I’ll raise a glass of bubbly with you. Cheers!
DeleteFunny you talk about adapting family recipes, I was looking at my sauerkraut recipe yesterday that my mom adapted from Grandma's and I adapted from her version, mostly due to what's available currently versus then. I was typing the recipe to email to my cousin after my youngest aunt claimed she was the only one who made it the way Grandma did... and of course it was a bit different from the way Mom taught me to make it! Old family recipes are the best!
ReplyDeleteThink I will be trying these the way Annette did or with boursin, we are not big fans of goat cheese.
That’s a great story, Marcia. Funny how recipes change a little with each generation; sometimes by necessity, sometimes just because. Makes them even better in a way. Let me know how they come out with the Boursin. That may be he way to if goat cheese isn't popular at your place.
DeleteA very special and beautiful recipe. Yes, I do change recipes since many ingredients are not appealing to my palate. I use herbs and no spices which is appetizing and flavorful. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteTraveler, That makes perfect sense. Adapting recipes to suit your own palate is exactly what keeps them both personal and enjoyable. Herbs alone can bring so much flavor!
DeleteNice, Ang! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI hope you try them and like them, Molly.
DeleteNicely done.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by how few people realize that squash blossoms can be eaten.
libbydodd at comast dot net
Libby, if I hadn’t grown up eating squash blossoms, I probably wouldn’t have guessed what they were. I once heard that daylily flowers can be fried the same way, though I’d definitely do a little research before trying any flower straight from the garden.
DeleteI need to try this--it looks amazing! But I also need to get out into the garden to pick the zucchini flowers before they wilt....
ReplyDeleteLeslie, Yes, pick them while they’re fresh! They wilt so quickly, and you wouldn’t want any bees hiding in them either. That’s part of the adventure of cooking with garden blossoms.
DeleteI don't cook well enough to tamper with a tried and true recipe. baileybounce2@att.net
ReplyDeleteSherry, that’s the beauty of cooking. You don’t have to change a thing if you don’t want to. Tried-and-true recipes are comforting for a reason!
DeleteOMG, we live for squash blossoms flowers! My dad would bring cooked ones when he picked up my mom at her hairdresser's on Saturdays, and now we make them each year. We discovered a great restaurant in the Bronx years ago because it was on its menu!
ReplyDeleteReading this made me so nostalgic for my mum's and grandmum's 'golden fry batter' dinners! Anything and everything on hand and grown from the garden was at liberty to dredge through and throw in the oil to fry: green tomatoes, green beans, green and yellow squashes, even parsley!
ReplyDeleteWith regards to changing a recipe, the word 'dare' is so, well, almost fatalistic, but YES, I have dared to alter a family recipe, and am still alive (with support of said changes)! LOL!