I’ve been frying squash blossoms stuffed with my homemade mozzarella all summer long (we don’t sell mozz in our online store, but it’s easy to make your own with one of our DIY kits).
This treat satisfies all my cravings in one bite: fresh edible summer flowers, golden-fried batter, butter-toasted sourdough bread, and gooey, cheesy goodness. The dumplings are great on their own, but their texture is really incredible inside a grilled cheese sandwich.
Ever wonder what to do with that excessive amount of parsley left over from a recipe that only called for a tablespoon as garnish? Parsley Pesto is a perfect way to please your palate and your pantry. Can you tell I’m a fan of alliteration and personification? In all seriousness, piquant parsley pesto has an amazing shelf life that far outlives your average basil pesto. It has been sitting green and vibrant in my fridge for the past three weeks.
I’ve first inserted the recipes for both of these creations, and lastly have woven them all together into the beautiful monstrosity that is the title of this post. Enjoy them separately and apart.
Grilled Cheese with Fried Mozzarella Squash Blossoms and Parsley Pesto Recipe
The seasonal squash blossom makes this grilled cheese recipe unique. We promise that this recipe will have you counting down the days until squash blossom season!
Author:
Jessica Sennett
Ingredients
For The Parsley Pesto
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups packed, stemmed Italian parsley
Coarse salt
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese (Parmiggiano will do, too)
Place the garlic, parsley, cheese, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until it forms a thick paste.
Gradually add olive oil to food processor in a slow trickle. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Fried Mozzarella Squash Blossom Dumplings Recipe
Carefully wash the squash blossoms, drain and gently dry them using paper towels.
Delicately peel open each squash blossom and stuff with one cube of mozzarella.*
Prepare the batter by whisking the flour, egg, sparkling water, and salt until smooth.
Dip the blossoms into the batter.
Lay them all to rest on a plate, and prepare your fry oil.
Add olive oil to a skillet, about 1/4 inch in height. Heat on high heat.**
When the oil is hot, place the blossoms in the oil and fry until brown, about 1 minute on each side.
Lay the fried blossoms to rest on a paper towel to soak up the extra oil.
Grilled Cheese Recipe
Slather the parsley pesto on one side of each slice of bread.
Lay the fried squash blossoms side by side on a piece of bread, pesto side up.
Place the other piece of bread on top, sandwiching the squash blossoms with the pesto.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a cast iron skillet. Allow the butter to turn golden.
Place entire sandwich in the skillet. Place little pats of the remaining butter on the top of the sandwich bread. (This will ensure that both sides become buttery AND crispy.)
Put a lid on the skillet while it browns the one side of the sandwich.
After about 1-2 minutes, flip the sandwich and cover again. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
Once browned on each side, serve immediately.
Recipe Note
*Some recipes recommend removing the pistil, but I enjoy that little bit of inner sweetness from the blossom, so I keep the pistil in.
**The oil heats up quickly at this quantity, and it doesn’t take much to brown the blossoms on all sides. Be sure to have a pair of tongs handy to flip the blossoms.
Jessica Sennett
Jessica Sennett is the founder and inventor of Cheese Grotto. Her whole life is cheese - seriously.
If you have purchased cheese hardware from our Grotto collection, it usually takes us 1 to 3 business days to ship your order, unless otherwise listed on the respective product page.
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