Since August 8th is National Zucchini Day, otherwise known as Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day, I’m featuring a recipe that uses zucchini blossoms. Any large squash blossoms will work, but the zucchini flowers are the tastiest and least fragile.
Freshly Picked Squash Blossoms
When my garden is at peak production, it’s not unusual to find a dozen flowers on the zucchini and squash plants every morning. They are best picked early in the day, before the flowers close, and cook them that same day. I find they will last overnight in the crisper if stored in a vented plastic bag. The blossoms above are from green and yellow zucchini and squash vines.
When picking the flowers, watch out for bees, they will often get drunk on the nectar and fall asleep in the flowers. And only pick the male flowers, unless you don’t want more squash. Seriously, there are male and female flowers. The male flower sits on a long, slender stem. Most flowers are male. The female flower will be attached to a tiny squash plant and have a large pistil in the center of the flower.
Farmer’s markets often carry the blossoms, but get there early because they usually go fast, and they are pricey.
Recipe: Fried Squash Blossoms
Ingredients
• 2 dozen squash flowers
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• A handful of chopped parsley
• Course salt and ground pepper
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil or light olive oil
• Approx one cup of water
Preparation
Rinse the flowers and remove the pollen stem from the inside. Gently pat dry.
Mix together the flour, parsley, a few pinches of salt and a dash of pepper in a small bowl. In a separate bowl. Lightly beat the two eggs. Add the cup of water and the eggs to the flour mix and whisk until all lumps are gone.
Add about one inches of oil to a skillet and heat.
Dip the flowers one at a time in the batter and cook in batches on medium-high heat for about a minute on each side, or until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.
Fried Squash Blossoms
There are many variations of this recipe, and I have posted others that I like, but today I’m making one of the simpler versions using a basic egg, flour and water batter. The last time I made them, I substituted beer for the water and left out the eggs. The flowers can also be stuffed with ricotta cheese and then fried.
They can be served hot or at room temperature, as an appetizer or as part of a meal.
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Participation is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
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The Good Girl
by Mary Kubica
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Mystery
Publisher: Blackstone Audio | July 2014
Format: Audio Download | 10½ hours | Rating: 5 stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
From the Publisher:
One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn’t show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.
An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a compulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seem
My Thoughts:
The story opens with Mia back at home after being kidnapped and ultimately rescued. She has no memory of what happened. Using alternating points of view – Mia, her mother, the police detective and the kidnapper – and moving back and forth in time, before, during and after the kidnapping, the author reconstructs the events.
While this may sound like it would be complex and difficult to follow, the book is so well-written that I never lost perspective on where we were and who was speaking. The events and revelations are expertly woven together into a well-paced, suspenseful novel that keeps the reader wanting just one more chapter.
Part psychological thriller and part mystery, the plot goes in several unexpected directions as family secrets are revealed and we realize things aren’t as they first appear to be. This is a very character-driven novel. As the author lets us into the minds of the kidnapper and Mia’s mother, we see how events both past and present are shaping their actions. The writing had to be excellent for the kidnapper to become a sympathetic character for me, but that’s exactly what happened.
I initially passed on reading this book because I thought it was about a child kidnapping, and I wasn’t in the mood for another one of those books. The title and cover art are deceptive. Mia is not a “girl”, she is a young working woman, an inner-city teacher; eventually the title makes sense, but not until the end. When I learned that the story was based in Chicago, I decided to give it a try. The Chicago and Midwestern references added another layer for me to enjoy, but this is a great book regardless of the setting.
Audio Production:
Narrators: Lindy Nettleton, Johnny Heller, Tom Taylorson, and Andi Arndt. The audio production uses an ensemble cast with a narrator for each point of view. Each chapter begins by giving the name of the character speaking and the point in time, ‘before’ or ‘after’ the kidnapping. After the first few chapters, I had absolutely no trouble following the changes in point of view or jumps back and forth in time. That’s how well-written this book is – it just flows. The narrators did a fine job, but I was fixated on the story.
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Source: Review copy provided by Blackstone Audio through Audiobook Jukebox.
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Almost wordless: In mid-July I began to notice Monarch Butterflies in my wildflower garden. A few days ago I spotted a Monarch Caterpillar on the Milkweed.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter this fantastic giveaway.
The winner was selected in a random drawing and has been notified by email.
Guilt Trip Giveaway
Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella
Winner: Jennifer Ryder
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
There was nothing in my mailbox last week but I did receive a couple of eGalleys in my digital mailbox. From the description, Suburdia sounds like it was written for me. And chicken is a favorite meal in the Apple Tree household, so more ways to create chicken dishes are always welcome.
New Books
eBooks through NetGalley:
Welcome to Subirdia by John M. Marzluff from University Press.
In this fascinating and optimistic book, John Marzluff reveals how our own actions affect the birds and animals that live in our cities and towns, and he provides ten specific strategies everyone can use to make human environments friendlier for our natural neighbors.
Chicken: A Fresh Take on Classic Recipes by Marcus Bean from Duncan Baird.
More than 100 brand-new recipes.
How was your week?
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On my last few walks to the park, birds have been scarce. With the exception of Robins, Song Sparrows and Goldfinches, which are abundant right now, they weren’t making much noise either. During a slightly longer than an hour walk this morning, I only spotted 13 species. That is a low number for me.
Busy raising the kids
Birds are still out there, just not calling attention to themselves. In the spring the males are visible with their brilliant breeding plumage and day-long singing to attract a mate. Now that the babies have hatched and left the nest, parents are busy with child-reading duties.
This robin was gently clucking at a young bird hiding in the brush. They continue to feed the youngsters, while at the same time teach them to find food on their own.
A Great Blue Heron at the pond
Some of the trails down to the pond have become overgrown, limiting where I am willing walk. I don’t mind pushing through high grass, but these plants are as tall as I am, and the biting bugs were out in full force. So I opted not to disturb them and observed from a distance.
A lone Great Blue Heron soared into the willow tree overlooking the pond. I love watching them fly. They look almost prehistoric.
Sadly, the nearby heron rookery where I monitor birds has been abandoned. This is the first year the birds choose not to come back. A huge dead tree which contained the majority of their nests fell down during a winter storm, plus water levels in the river have been low, resulting in less fish. There is another rookery a few miles away, but I wonder if the birds know to move there, or if they are even welcome.
Many butterflies on the prairie
Butterflies were plentiful. I just can’t stop taking photos of the Monarchs. This one was feasting on Swamp Milkweed. I have seen a lot of Monarchs this year, including many in my own backyard. I like to believe their increased number has something to do with the forest preserve’s prairie management program, along with home gardeners, planting more milkweed.
Not sure what kind of butterfly this is. It was very tiny, about an inch and a half long. Anyone know?
Young Cottontail
As I reached the end of the prairie, I spotted a young Cottontail Rabbit sitting along the edge of the path, wisely hiding in the tall plants. Rabbits are prey animals, and are food for a variety of carnivores, including large birds such as hawks and owls.
Migration will begin soon
The number of bird species in the area will begin to increase in the next few weeks as early migrants make their way south for the winter. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the summer and year-round residents.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos.
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This year, the weather has been perfect for my herb garden. For the past few weeks, the garden has been flourishing. The herbs are at their peak, and I have been using them in my recipes as often as possible. Don’t have an herb garden? Fresh herbs are readily available at farmer’s markets, and don’t forget family, friends and kindly neighbors. I often surprise people with ‘herb bouquets’.
For the next few weeks I’ll be featuring recipes from the garden. Today, basil is at its peak.
Basil
I have many uses for basil, but one of my favorites is fresh pesto sauce.
The authentic way to make pesto is to use a mortar and pestle. I don’t always have the time to spend crushing and grinding, but still want my pesto to taste good, and have the right texture and feel. Dumping all the ingredients into a blender is quick, but doesn’t produce the best results. I’ve been making pesto for years now, and in the process have discovered a few short cuts that are a good compromise.
Recipe: Basil Pesto
Ingredients
• 1 medium clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• 36 fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ pound of pasta (230 g for the rest of the planet)
Preparation
Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush together the garlic, salt and pine nuts. Add the basil leaves to the mixture. Here’s where I cheat: The next step is to add the basil, but before I do, I lightly cut it up using a knife or small food processor. Then I add it to the mortar and finish crushing. Gradually add the cheese. When mixed, transfer back to the food processor and add the oil. Pulse several time to mix the ingredients. Cook pasta to taste, drain and add pesto. Makes 4 servings.
If I’m really short on time, I crush the garlic, salt and pine nuts using the mortar and pestle, then transfer it to the food processor. Next, add the basil to the food processor and pulse a few times, just until it’s chopped. Then add the cheese and pulse until mixed. Add the oil and pulse a few more times.
Mezze Penne with Pesto
About the ingredients
- I never use a substitute for the pine nuts, even thought they are outrageously expensive. It completely changes the taste. Toasting the pine nuts releases their flavor, but be careful, they burn easily.
- Reggiano Parmesan is imported and has a sharper taste than the domestic brands, and Pecorino Romano is made using goat cheese, a distinct taste all its own.
- Fresh basil is best, but properly frozen basil will work too. Basil will last over the winter if it’s coated in oil and frozen at its peak. The color of the basil will darken due to the freezing, but the taste will be almost the same.
- Extra-virgin olive oil has a different taste than the basic olive oil, which is used for frying.
Now I given up all my secrets for making authentic pesto. Any tasty variations I can try?
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Participation is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
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