Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or Squash Blossoms

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Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.comIsn’t it time you made baked stuffed zucchini flowers (also known as squash blossoms)? They’re an easy, quick, light, healthy, Italian, vegetarian starter.

Firstly, should I be calling these baked stuffed squash blossoms or baked stuffed zucchini flowers? It’s a little confusing but squash blossoms and zucchini flowers are the same ingredient. Also acceptable, are baked zucchini blossoms. And then of course to add further confusion, many Europeans call zucchinis, corgettes. Well, that’s just the way it is in our global world now!

Zucchini flowers are at their peak from late spring all the way through to fall. So, keep a sharp eye out for them. That’s when making baked stuffed zucchini blossoms comes into its own.

Whatever we call them, stuffed zucchini flowers contain a secret ingredient and that is the king of cheeses! Read onto find out what that is and how Italians use it.

Grading of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Well the heading gives it away! The king of cheeses is indeed Parmigiano Reggiano. Luckily for us we participated in a tour to observe how Italians make this classic, Italian cheese.

When sold by a retailer (in Italy at least) parmigiano reggiano is designated with a colored seal denoting its age. The flavor becomes more intense as the cheese ages. So, the recommended use of the cheese varies as well:

  • Red seal (aged over 18 months- creamy) serving suggestions:
    • excellent served with aperitifs and apples.
    • Good for cooking with (as we will in this recipe).
  • Silver seal (aged over 22 months- firm structure, distinctive taste, crumbly) serving suggestions:
    • simply serve with nuts and dried fruit (walnuts, hazelnuts, dried plums, figs) as part of an antipasto platter.
    • with traditional Italian pasta dishes.
    • use the rind in vegetable soups (minestrone or bean soup are excellent).
  • Gold seal (aged over 30 months- strong, “strevicchio”, highest nutritional value, crystals, crumbly, distinctive taste) serving suggestion:
    • excellent served with balsamic vinegar or honey.
    • great with a “big” flavored red wine or dessert wine.

In the Emilia Romagna area 24 month old parmigiano reggiano sells between 14 and 19 euros a kilo. ($7.50 to $10 USD per pound). That is significantly cheaper than we pay at home!

When making the baked stuffed zucchini blossoms, I really encourage you to use parmigiano reggiano. For sure, you can use any parmesan cheese. But you get a better depth of flavor from parmigiano reggiano!

Access to Fresh Produce

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.com
Zucchini flowers are common at Italian Markets

One of the great pleasures of driving around Italy in the late spring and early summer is to observe the lush and rather magnificent-looking fields full of agriculture. And then there are the well-maintained, vegetable gardens in most homes.

Corn, wheat, grapes (for wine) tomatoes, zucchinis and other crops are all lush and healthy looking. It is little wonder the fruit and vegetable stores and the produce in markets looks so good. When you pick up a tomato it has that lovely, home-grown smell.

Not only does food look good here but it tastes good. Another interesting food observation when you travel around Europe is they don’t really waste anything. Its not just steak you see in a butcher store but the offal and bones as well. Everything that can be sold is sold.

People here want to spend more time on making things like stock, preserves, sauces, pickles, terrines, bottled vegetables and the like. When summer produce is at its peak and prices are cheap, people here buy up to make some of the these items.

Better Eating Habits

Depending how old you are, you probably remember your grandmother or mother doing the same thing. In my view, until recently, this practice has been slowly dying out. As a child I remember our family gathering in the kitchen and talking as your mother or grandmother worked on the bottled tomatoes.

There are promising signs though. We see lots more interest in farmer’s markets and some old cuts of meat are making a comeback. And, there is definitely an interest amongst younger people to experiment with old fashion fruits and vegetables.

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or Squash Blossoms

It’s not just tomatoes that taste good in Italy but zucchinis as well. Did you know Christopher Columbus brought the original vegetable (actually a fruit by the way) back to Italy? There it developed into what we now call zucchini (summer squash).

And in testament to not wasting anything, zucchini flowers here are very popular. It really pleases me to say they are commonly available now in Australia, the US and other places. So buy some zucchini flowers from your farmer’s market or local fruit and vegetable store and make baked stuffed zucchini flowers.

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.com
Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers ready to go in the oven

 

Our version of baked stuffed zucchini flowers is not fried, so no real cleaning up afterwards and maybe a little healthier than the fried versions. I usually stay away from “delicate flower” recipes. But trust me, these baked stuffed zucchini flowers are not fiddly. And they are to sure to impress!

Other Stuffed Vegetable Recipes

Are you looking for some main course-sized, stuffed vegetable recipes? We feature quite a few on Compass and Fork. They’re a great way to increase your veggie intake. They make excellent winter warmer comfort foods.

Peruvian food is deservedly gaining a great reputation world-wide. See why with these filling Peruvian stuffed peppers, just perfect with scalloped potatoes.

Find out why the combination of eggplant and lamb mince is so good with these Turkish Stuffed Eggplants. They can also be made with beef mince.

And lastly, authentic cabbage rolls are a traditional food of Eastern Europe. They’re inexpensive to make and will be popular with all members of the family.

 

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All the specialty ingredients you need to make the Italian recipes on Compass & Fork on one handy printable shopping list.

 

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.com

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Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or Squash Blossoms
Print Recipe
Here is a healthy, baked, vegetarian starter. These can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Servings Prep Time Cook Time
4people 15minutes 10minutes
Servings Prep Time
4people 15minutes
Cook Time
10minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 f (220 c).
  2. On a low to medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan and gently cook the onion and garlic until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the herbs and then take off the heat.Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.com
  3. Add the parmigiano reggiano, season with salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly.
  4. Remove the pistols from the zucchini flowers and trim the stems if need be. Gently stuff the flowers with the mixture. Gently fold the flowers to seal the stuffing.Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.com
  5. Add 1/2 a tablespoon of the olive oil to the bottom of a baking dish. Carefully place the stuffed zucchini flowers into the dish, add the water and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer the zucchini flowers to plates and drizzle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over the flowers.
Recipe Notes

You can buy good quality Parmigiano Reggiano  here or from better delicatessens.

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or squash blossoms www.compassandfork.com

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4 Responses

  1. Ayaka
    | Reply

    Oh my, I love zucchini and I was just huitnng for zucchini recipes when I found this. I linked up a few of my recipes (I have another one posting tomorrow), and I just made some zucchini fries today too! PLUS, I just yanked a zucchini out of my garden the size of my arm. No joke. I need to scrape the seeds out and then find a use for that big bad boy. I think zucchini brownies are in order….Aimee

    • Editor
      |

      Ayaka, You’ll need a few recipes for a zucchini that size!

  2. lindsay
    | Reply

    great idea! i’ll be over for lunch tomorrow, ok? 😉

    • Editor
      |

      Hi Lindsay. No problem be happy to cook it for you. Cheers….Mark

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