Bloodless Coup

Squash

Although radishes have reigned supreme as the multi-use go to garden goody of the summer, the squashes (of the "it came from the compost!" variety ie I have no idea which kind of squash) are really flowering with gusto, which means cheese filled, fried goodness. I've tried various recipes for stuffed squash blossoms, and have decided that you have to be careful not to make the batter too heavy or sticky. It needs to be light, but seasoned. So, get yourself a pot of veg oil and bring it up to 350 degrees. While that is coming to temperature, mash up some fresh goat cheese (picked up some yesterday at the farmers' market that is dry and delicious!) with some chopped fresh herbs from the garden (thyme, basil, parsley, chives and a leetle rosemary) plus salt and pepper to taste. For about ten blossoms of varying sizes (pumpkin are large, Hubbard are medium, the mystery were a bit smaller) I used about a third of a medium log of cheese and about a quarter cup of herbs. Shove a blob of the cheese mixture down into the base of the blossom, making sure all our insect friends have been released into the wild. I accidentally refrigerated a bee overnight last night, but although a bit sluggish, he was still kicking when i released him today. Twist the tips of the blossom in a spiral motion, and squeeze to seal the cheese inside. Just before dropping the blossom into the hot oil, immerse/roll in a flour/milk dip. Here is the key... I always like to use corn meal flour instead of regular white flour, because it has an earthier taste. Also, squash and corn are two of the tres hermanas (see here for a brief explanation). Anyway, use 2 tablespoons of cornmeal flour per 1/2 cup of milk, and whisk them (plus a little salt and pepper to taste) together until you get a very light paste. And this is harina de maiz not cornmeal, which is too grainy. It's more runny than pasty, but just make sure the flour is all suspended in the milk. So, cheese mixture in flower, dip in milk mixture, drop in 350 degree oil (deep enough to cover). Cook one minute (-ish) on each size, drain and eat (but be careful, they come out rather molten).