Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (on a stick)

We have a tiny tiny garden. I would say it's about eight feet by 10 feet at most. Sorry, that's our backyard with patio stones. Living in a student townhouse can certainly rob you of any sprawled living. But I recall looking at homes in San Francisco. Having a small backyard is something cherishable. Heck, I wonder how much a home goes up in price by having such a backyard?

We used up any grassy space for our garden. We don't have an enclosed fence and there's a park close by so we weren't concerned about grass (less to mow). When we have friends over for dinner, we can fit around eight comfortably. So, that's not so bad is it?

Anyway, in our little garden, last year's compost brought up some seedlings that were undeniable tomatoes and zucchini. I've kept most of our heirloom tomato seeds, but knew we didn't have the space for zucchini so I didn't plant them. So I was ready to pluck them from the ground when my husband, Lucas, says, "Let's keep them for the flowers". Huh.

We get tons of zucchini from our CSA share (more on that later) so I thought that we can sacrifice zucchini to have awesome stuffed zucchini blossoms.

I am a big fan of Jamie Oliver (www.jamieoliver.com) I've tried his recipe for stuffed zucchini flowers with ricotta cheese, mint, and lemon. It's placed into a batter made of self-rising flour and white wine and deep fried. Quite yummy! Since then I've tried many ways to make this such as with fresh herbs, sauted instead of fried, and the results are amazing.

So, the highlight is not necessarily the stuffing but really the flower itself. If you're on a budget, here's a tip: emulate ricotta cheese by using low-fat cottage cheese. Using a fine sieve (or cheesecloth), drain the excess water. The cottage cheese really has a thick texture. You'll have to add some seasoning and fresh herbs really help. So, right there, you have saved $3.00 to $3.50 by having a cheaper cheese. As for the batter, just subsitute water for the wine. Instant savings!

CCoaS Stuffed Zucchini Flowers ($0.25 per stuffed flower vs. $1.38 gourmet ingredients - save $9.04)

- 8 zucchini flowers from garden ($0.00 or $3.00 from farmer's market)

filling:

- 1 tub (250 mL) low-fat cottage cheese, drained ($2.00 to $2.50)

- fresh herbs or dried herbs

- salt and pepper

batter:

- 1 cup self-rising flour or flour and 2 tsp baking powder ($0.05)

- 1 cup of warm water (depending on thickness of batter)

- oil for frying ($1.00 to $3.00 depending on how you want to prepare your pan)

- lemon (optional to squeeze over fried flowers)

1. remove stamen from inside the zucchini flower (it's very bitter).

2. Mix drained cottage cheese, fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Great herbs to try are thyme, basil, mint and lemon pepper (if you don't have fresh lemons), etc.

3. gently spoon the mix into the flower (about a tablespoon or more depending on size of flower). Gently fold the petals over each other to create a little purse for the filling.

4. mix the water and the flour together to create a batter. The batter shouldn't be too thick like a fish and chips batter.

5. heat your oil. For deep frying, make sure the oil is about 350F. If you pan fry them, medium-high heat.

6. place your fried flowers on paper towels to soak up excess oil. This dish is meant to be served right away so the batter doesn't get soggy. Squeeze lemon juice for brightness.

A few things to get started - Herbs

Okay, so I should have started this blog in the early weeks of March, right before any sort of gardening or planning can occur. Because one of the best ways to have culinary cuisine on a shoestring is to have a garden from where you can glean the best, freshest -- and most likely -- organic produce you can find.

I myself love herbs. I love using fresh herbs on anything be it potatoes, meats, pastas, fruits, and desserts. But alas, dried herbs cannot compare to the fresh herbs you can use. And of course, buying herbs at the grocery store is expensive. It's highway robbery to buy a bunch of cilantro for $2.50, when you might end up using only 1/4 cup at a time, and during that time, unless you properly store your herbs, the leaves start to wilt and get soggy by the time you remember to use them again. Having cilantro grow in your garden for a small investment of seeds or seedlings is so worth it.

If you don't have access to the great land of your front or backyard, container gardening is the way to go! For years I lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony that was just plain old cement. My husband and I grew everything imaginable in five-gallon planters. We grew tomatoes, peppers, and of course, herbs. And as the fall and winter months came, we were able to bring the herbs into our home and continue to use them all year round.

Feel more on the cheap? If you know someone that has their own herb garden, politely ask them if you can snip a few strands. Place them in a small plastic bag with moist paper towel. When you get home, simply put one type of herb in a glass of water. Be sure not to mix up the herbs or after a day, you'll get that slimy water that you might see in a bouquet of flowers. after a few days, notice if any of them have fine white roots growing. Plant these in small pots with soil and voila, you started your own herb garden. Keep misting the little plants while they start to take root.

In my garden, I have to have the following: oregano, sage, thyme, mint, lavender, basil, cilantro, and parsley. Remember that mint and oregano can take over a garden so you need to be careful where you plant them. For us, we let them grow and then dry a bunch of them. Oregano and bay leaves are actually better when they are dried. They flavor is more intense. And as for mint, we dry them and keep it for mint tea.

You might have read somewhere that you can freeze herbs in ice cubes for a punch of flavor when cooking. I have yet to try that, since I carefully just freeze herbs as is.

Believe me, you will impress your guests when you serve food with fresh herbs. They'll think you spent a fortune at the grocery store!

Just an Introduction

Good evening!

My name is Karen and this is probably my third blog that I write. I am a chocolatier for my business, Cocoa Earth, which suscribes to what I call the LOFT philosophy (Local, Organic, and Fair Trade). I am probably only one of the rare few in my area that uses organic and fair trade chocolate to create chocolate delicacies such as truffles, barks, and brownies. As well, my ingredients are from local farmers, and I never use artificial flavours. My business is still in the making but you can check out my website: www.cocoa-earth.com.

So, my other blog is with my husband in which we try to create some culinary delights and blog about it: www.aculinaryexperience.blogspot.com. Here we talk about our local produce from a community-supported agriculture (CSA) that we partake in, as well as our love for creating artisan bread.

Why a different culinary blog? Well, as much as we love culinary cuisine, we have family and friends that disbelieve that we can enjoy all this great food with a limited budget. In fact, we do. I am an office administrator and my husband is a grad student. We have a little daughter and basically we enjoy life and do not rely on microwaveable frozen dinners and breakfast in a can to sustain us. We LOOOVVVEEEE food and that is something we share. Why spend $2.50 for a unsavoury frozen meal when you can have wonderful dinners and lunches for the same amount or less?

I want to share my secrets and what I have discovered along the way. I too, was victim to Michelina's and Chunky soup throughout college and I vowed that once I left school, I would never ever subject myself to that sodium-laced food again. I welcomed veggies, farms eggs, and glorious fresh-picked fruit! And don't forget meat. Meat is expensive, but can be part of a culinary budget too.

Looking forward to blogging more,
Karen