Goats cheese, toasted garlic and herb stuffed squash blossoms

It was a great day at the Sunday farmers market today! I got so excited about my purchases that I had to put them to use the minute I got home! And with squash blossoms you really do have to use them the day you buy them as they are extremely delicate. I also found some edible flowers that make any salad really pop! And they don't have a strong flavor so they go with any type of salad.

I was inspired by a restaurant I went to a long time ago in Silverlake (can't remember the name of it) that had a seasonal menu and I ordered the stuffed squash blossom appetizer which was the first and only time I'd had them. Needless to say, they haven't left my mind. Finding fresh ones in good quality can be challenging but luckily not today! An added bonus is if you get the female blossoms with the baby zucchini attached!

Recipe

10 fresh squash blossoms gently washed and patted dry, 

remove any stigmas (where the pollen comes from) from inside the blossom.

1/2 c. Goats cheese

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/4 c. Fresh parsley chopped

1/4 c. Fresh basil chopped

Salt pepper to taste

3/4 cup olive oil for pan frying

Wild rocket, roasted beet and lemon juice vinaigrette(juice of 2 lemons and a splash of olive oil) to serve.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and quickly fry the garlic till light brown. Turn off heat and scoop all the garlic out with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl. Save the now garlic infused olive oil in the same pan to pan fry the stuffed squash blossoms later. Now, mix the goats cheese, parsley, basil and salt and pepper with the garlic till well mixed. With a small spoon, scoop about a table spoon amount of the goats cheese mix into the base of each blossom then gently twist the tops to close. It's ok if there is a little bit leaking out of the sides just try to wipe it away if there's too much leaking. Heat the oil again till hot and place about 4-5 of the stuffed blossoms in gently. There will be some popping so be careful! After about a minute, use tongs to flip each blossom and repeat till desired brownness. Remove and set on a paper towel to soak up excess oil. I also gently pat them on top with a paper towel. 

Now serve alone or on salad! Enjoy! (Photos below for step by step reference!)