Yummy late summer recipes

Mmmmm. Fried food! Here's 2 recipes for fall. Fried stuffed Zucchini Blossoms and fried baby Artichokes.

Fried Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms:

Late summer/early fall is the only time to get Zucchini blossoms, a versatile little treat you can find at the farmer's market. The Hollywood Farmer's Market has them right now. The stand is on Ivar, just north of Selma on the west side of the block. Last Sunday the blossoms caught my eye and when I said "Oooh! Zucchini blossoms!" the friendly man who runs the stand thrust a bag and me and said, "Yes! You buy! Very good!" I'm glad he did, otherwise I may have been too freaked out to get them.

I had fried Zucchini blossoms once in my life, when I was 13, visiting Italy with my friend and her family. I never forgot them, but always figured they were something far too mysterious and complicated to try to make at home. I was very wrong. Not only are they surprisingly easy, but they can be stuffed with virtually anything, so the possibilities are nearly endless. I looked around for a recipe and couldn't find one that I liked, so I made up my own. I used a mixture of cream cheese and goat cheese for the filling, but next time I'll probably skip the goat cheese. The blossoms are so delicate that I found you don't want to overwhelm them with anything too strong. Though, for the breadcrumbs I used a rosemary bread that I had also purchased at the farmer's market, which was a fun addition. Here's what I did:

10 blossoms
Fresh or dried herbs (Basil and Oregano are nice.)
Salt and pepper
2 Eggs
Fresh breadcrumbs
Cooking oil

Carefully swish blossoms in cold water to wash them. Cut out the stamen in the center. Be very careful when doing this as the blossoms are extremely delicate and tear easily. Lay blossoms on a paper towel to dry.

In a food processor (or you can use a mixing bowl and wooden spoon) mix cream cheese, herbs and salt and pepper until blended and creamy. Using a small tea or table spoon carefully fill each blossom with a spoonful of the mixture. Coat each blossom with egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs.

Using a deep sided, large pan or dutch oven heat, enough oil to cover half a blossom (probably about a half and inch to an inch. When oil is hot, carefully add half the blossoms to the oil, making sure the have enough room around them. Cook on each side for 2 or 3 minutes or until golden brown. Set fried blossoms on a paper towel on a baking rack to drain and cool.

Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and pepper and serve.

The blossoms do not need a dipping sauce because of the stuffing and the delicate flavor, but if you really want to dip them or dress them I would suggest a marinara. The great thing about these is that you really can fill them with anything at all. I would imagine a more adventurous cook might use raisins mixed in with the cheese. Any mild cheese would work nicely. You could also do cheddar cheese and jalapenos if you wanted to make it more like a popper. Some recipes suggest sun dried tomatoes, too. Do whatever you think might be tasty.

In terms of the "batter" a lot of recipes suggest a beer batter or a pancake-like batter without the sugar. I thought that would be too heavy on the delicate flower, so I went with the breadcrumbs, instead. For fresh breadcrumbs heat a hunk of bread in the oven till crispy, then process in a food processor till fine.

Fried Baby Artichokes:

These fried baby artichokes are so good, you'll be instantly addicted. My boyfriend says their like potato chips with a creamy center. Plus they require no batter at all, so they're healthy (pretty much). You can pick up baby artichokes at Trader Joes for sure and probably Whole Foods.

Baby Artichokes
3 lemons
Cooking Oil
Sea Salt
Bowl of water

Prepare a large bowl of cold water, squeeze two lemons into the water and drop the lemon rinds in. You can also add white vinegar, a half a cup is plenty. This helps keep the artichokes from browning which they do alarmingly quickly.

Working quickly, trim outermost leaves (the little, scraggly ones), trim the top of the artichokes by cutting off about a centimeter from the top, and trim the very bottom off the stem, leaving most of the stem. Cut the artichokes lengthwise down the middle. If you see significant thistle cut it out with a paring knife. Drop halved artichokes into the lemon/vinegar water until ready to use.

Heat an inch of oil in a deep sided pan or dutch oven to 350 degrees. Drain the artichokes and gently drop them into the oil. Do this in batches so as not to crowd. Fry on each side 7-10 minutes or until crispy and browned. The artichokes are done when you can eat an entire leaf. Drain them on paper towels on a rack.

Squeeze remaining lemon over the artichokes, sprinkle very liberally with sea salt and serve. There is no need to peel the leaves and scrape off the meat, like with "traditional" artichokes. These can be eaten whole.

Suggested dipping sauces:

Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise
Lemon Butter

Happy Fall!!

Zucchini Blossoms: pabulum.ext212.com; greek-recipe.com; Artichokes: Rita L c/o recipezaar.com