Fritto Misto
(Squash Blossoms, Mushrooms and Onions)
Pasta e Fagioli
Our garden is humming along nicely this year despite the wet and chilly (for July) temperatures. We harvested the first of the zucchini blossoms and decided to make fritto misto along with some shiitake mushrooms and vidalia onions. The squash blossoms were carefully rinsed inside and out (you never know who is sleeping in there), and then stuffed with a mixture of vegan cream cheese, shallots, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper)
The batter is not a traditional recipe, it's more of a modified tempura recipe with added spices and herbs.
Fritto Misto
1 cup soda water
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. parsley, minced
1/2 tsp. rosemary, minced
1/2 tablespoon salt
Canola oil for frying
Sift the flour, baking powder and cornstarch into a medium bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the soda water, salt, smoked paprika, parsley and rosemary. Allow to rest for a few minutes. Additional soda water may be needed to adjust thickness.
In a wok or large pot, heat the oil to 375F, dredge the veggies in the batter and carefully drop in the oil.
Cook until until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).
The soup is a classic mixture of veggies (carrot, onion, celery, tomatoes, garlic), beans (cannelloni) and pasta (gluten-free shells) in a seasoned (parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper) veg broth that is a very satisfying meal unto itself.
Tags: