Squash Blossoms at the Market Means Summer Is Here

Served in Italian restaurants, squash blossoms are usually stuffed with cheese and fried. If you love them that way, hopefully you have enjoyed Nancy Silverton's delicious squash blossoms with ricotta at Pizzeria Mozza.  

For those who want to make them at home, stop by the Sunday farmers market at Swarthmore Avenue where  is selling bright neon yellow squash blossoms. The blossoms are beautiful enough to be displayed in a vase or placed behind a woman's ear to sexy effect.

The thing about frying them at home is that they are messy to prepare and if you are watching your calories, frying is not the most caloric-sensitive way to go.

As an alternative, consider sauteing them with other vegetables to make a risotto main course.

Risotto can be intimidating and a bit of work because you have to stand over the pan, stirring as you add the liquid so the rice doesn't burn. 

No getting around that, but if you have the radio on and you're listening to NPR or Lady Gaga's new album, standing at the stove isn't so bad. 

At the Sunday farmers market, I could have chosen any number of fresh vegetables to use for the risotto: tomatoes, asparagus, peppers—red, yellow, orange or green—carrots, onions, kale or spinach.

To go with Sweredoski Farms' blossoms, I decided a simple saute of shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic and baby zucchini would be good.

The recipe on my site, Men Who Like to Cook, works just as well for risotto or pasta.