After our trip to Oaxaca, I fell in love with the delicate flavor of fried squash blossoms. I bought some lovely cotija cheese from the market. I wanted to make a creamy zucchini soup without adding too much “cream” or fat, you can omit the milk, just add a little water or let it thicken up with the squash puree alone. This is a two part recipe or you can just serve one alone.
The Soup
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 diced onion
- 2 tsp of garlic minced
- 6 cups of chopped zucchini and squash
- 1 tsp of italian herb mix or herbs de provence
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup of lowfat milk (optional)
- Salt, Pepper, Cayenne (to taste)
- Heat a large stock pot or pan with the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini and squash to the pot, stir the flavors of the onion and garlic into the squash. Add your herbs and flavor and let cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the water, cover your pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat if the boil is too high. I like to cook the zucchini and vegetables until really soft. It makes it easy to “cream” them later. This means I typically cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
- Add your milk (optional) about 5 minutes before you are done. Stir into soup and when done, turn off heat.
- Let soup cool for 10 minutes or so before transferring to a blender. I prefer this method, because it makes it a smooth creamy texture. Blend to a puree and return the soup mixture to the pot.
- While keeping my soup warm or trying to thicken it up, I taste the soup and add in my final spice ingredients. I think it’s important to try the soup before adding salt or pepper to see if it actually needs any at all. Sometimes I like it a little spicy and will add a little cayenne. If it’s too thin, you can add a little cornstarch to thicken it or cook it about 10 minutes longer.
Cheese Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms
- 6 Squash Blossoms, cleaned inside and out
- 6 small pieces of cotija, queso fresco or monterey jack
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- Salt/Pepper if
- Take the squash blossoms and run under water to clean out the inside of the blossom. I like to remove any pollen or stem inside or outside the blossom.
- Stuff the small piece of cheese inside the blossom and pinch the ends of the blossom to hold it closed. You can also fold the end over.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add your blossoms. Let cook for about 7 minutes on both sides. The cheese will close the blossom making a nice little pocket of cheese.
- Remove and place on to a paper towel to dry and drain any oil.
- Place squash blossoms on top of soup or just enjoy with a little cracked salt and pepper.
I’m diggig the healthy food options you are posting!