Squash blossoms are growing like crazy in the garden right now. The most common preparation people tend to do with them, is to stuff them with a variety of cheeses and fry them. I decided to stuff them with a meatball combination which ended up being a great decision. Because we have been staying away with from red meat, ground turkey sounded like a good option. Regardless of what sort of meat you decide to use, the end result will be delicious! This is a fantastic appetizer for the spring going into summer days especially if you have them growing in your backyard. Here is the recipe for how to make turkey stuffed squash blossoms, I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe ingredients
20 squash blossoms cleaned
2 lbs ground Turkey (preferably with at least 10-15% fat)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 tbsp fennel seeds
4 garlic cloves grated
1 1/2 cup panko
4 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
2 tbsp of fresh chopped chive
1 tbsp of fresh chopped thyme
1-2 tbsp salt 1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
Tempura batter
1/2 cup rice four
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 flour
3/4-1 cup cold soda water
salt
Tomato Sauce I added 1/4 cup of cream to this with fresh basil leaves
Recipe instructions
For the Tempura Batter,
Place both flours into a bowl, whisk in carbonated water and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. The batter should be not overly thick like pancake batter.
Heat frying oil to 325 degrees
For the Meat filling,
Add all the ingredients to stainless steel bowl and season aggressively. Mix well so all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Take a small saute pan on high heat with a tsp of olive oil and cook 1/2 oz of the meatball mixture. Taste the meatball to see how it tastes. If everything tastes perfect then set aside for the blossoms, if not adjust the meatball to what you think it needs. Place the meat into a large plastic piping bag. Being careful, open up the blossoms and fill each blossom with some of the meatball mixture. Continue the process until all are filled. (save leftover meat for meatballs or breakfast sausage. )
To Finish,
Take your blossoms and dip them into the tempura batter a few at a time. Being careful not to burn yourself, drop them into the fryer. Cook for roughly 5 minutes until they are golden brown and the meat is cooked all the way through. Strain out the blossoms onto a paper towel and immediately season with salt. Continue until all are fried. Serve with tomato basil sauce and enjoy!
