As Tasty As They Are Pretty

Today's post is something special.  I have written previously on how Bill, my older brother, influenced my cooking and my general attitude about food.  Well, in our years of eating together, a reciprocity developed, and it is safe to say that he too has been influenced by my cooking and restaurant ordering. 

Bill posted a picture on Facebook of his garden zucchinis, grown at an alarming rate, which only a Los Angeles climate could allow.  Following this, he and I went back and forth about what could and should be done with the flowers of the zucchini plant.  For a couple weeks I heard nothing.  Then I arrived at work one Monday to find the following e-mail.  It seemed to fit in perfectly with David's Plate, so I could not resist sharing.  Enjoy:

"Brother,

The deed is done.  Here is how it went down.  Wife was away tonight at book club, a night I usually like to cook something nice for myself of the "wife doesn't like" or "wife won't eat" variety.  As our zucchini plants are currently full of flowers and my wife is currently on a dairy-free Weight Watchers diet, I figured this was a good night to experiment with the fried, cheese-filled squash blossoms.  My main course for the night was to be leftover turkey meatloaf, not the most flashy of entrees, so this was yet another good reason to jazz up the side dishes.

I decided to fry up three blossoms and (because why not) the three baby zucchini that were attached.  I chopped up some rosemary (along with a bit of lemon thyme and parsley) from my garden, and mixed these herbs with small chunks of brie.  I then opened the squash blossoms to stuff them.  Blossom #3 gave me a little surprise.  As I opened it to remove the stamen and pistel, I was greeted by a bee who flew out into my kitchen.  He is still in my kitchen somewhere.  I have noticed that when a blossom is fully open (usually in the morning), it usually has at least one bee just hanging out inside.  Clearly, this little chap had been so enamored of this particular blossom that he forgot to leave and it closed up around him in the afternoon.  So, a note of caution if you ever cook this dish: watch out for bees.

I twisted the blossoms closed, dipped them (and the zucchini) in some egg and then some flour (with seasoning mixed in).  Then I fried everything in olive oil, along with a slice of turkey bacon (because I don't cook regular bacon) and a rosemary sprig.  While frying these bad boys, I made a quick sauce (for the meatloaf and blossoms) consisting of a port wine reduction, fig jam, and the leftover herbs from the stuffing.  Yumm!

You can see the finished product above.  The blossoms were melt in your mouth amazing.  Fantastic.  The brie worked really well.  The fried zucchini was good, but probably not worth repeating (as it tastes much better grilled or broiled or raw, all of which are healthier).  The turkey bacon and fig port sauce were delicious and nicely complimented everything.  I'll definitely have to experiment with this again (and in a version more friendly to my wife).  I want to try combining the cheese and turkey bacon in the stuffing so that it can be more like my first experience with this dish, the amazing creation I devoured at Cafe Positano on the Amalfi coast (photo also attached).

Thanks for pushing me to do this, Dave, and thanks for being my culinary inspiration.  Happy eating!

until soon,

Brother Bill"