One of my favorite things to see this time of the year? Golden, orange-yellow squash blossoms, piled high and glowing. You might think these edible flowers are really more fancy restaurant fare, but they’re actually quite easy and versatile to prepare, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t pick some up to try for yourself! Squash blossoms are also sometimes called zucchini flowers, but they can come from any summer or even winter squashes. They are the edible flowers of the squash plant and usually come in yellow and orange shades. Squash blossoms are soft, delicate, and taste mildly like the squash itself. They are available late spring to early fall. Fun fact: Did you know that there are male and female squash blossoms? The females are rounder and fuller with a tiny squash at the bottom. The males (like the beauties above) are longer and thinner with a skinny stem. They can be eaten raw in salads, sauteed, or one of the most popular preparations is to stuff and fry them, as the delicate petals turn deliciously crispy. Don’t be intimidated and feel free to experiment — these happy flowers are summer on a plate! Instead of frying them, I wanted to create something a little different. That is where this soup was created. I used my ridiculously beautiful squash blossoms from The Chef’s Garden! I combined them with mushrooms, bright sweet peppers, and rich coconut cream. It’s PURE perfection! Do you have a special recipe involving squash blossoms? I would love to hear it!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Plant Butter
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil Garcia De La Cruz
- 1 Sweet Onion
- 6 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- 3 cups Vegetable Stock
- 5 Red Potatoes, Small, Cubed
- 15 Squash Blossoms Farmer Jone's Farm at The Chef's Garden
- 1 cup Zucchini, 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 cup Coconut Cream
- Himalayn Pink Salt
- Peppercorn Black Spicely Organics
Instructions
- In a medium pot, warm butter over medium heat. Once foaming, add chopped onion, stirring to coat. Cook until the onions are lightly golden, stirring occasionally (about 6 minutes). Scoop out half of the onions and set aside.
- Add olive oil.
- Stir in garlic and cook until fragrent.
- Add vegetable stock and chopped potato to the pot and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, drop down the heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, prep the squash blossoms. Break off the stems, peel off the sepals (the small, wavy leaves that grow from the base), and pluck out the stamen. The squash blossoms will eventually be chopped up, so you don't need to keep their original shape in tact. Discard stems, sepals and stamen.
- Divide blossoms into two even piles then slice into 1/4 inch strips (including the bulbous base). Add one pile of slices to the simmering stock and cook for 3 minutes.
- Carefully blend the mixture until smooth. I used my immersion blender. If you don't have one, use a blender, working batches. Return the mixture back to the pot over medium heat.
- Add the reserved onion to the soup, stirring to combine. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes then add zucchini and sweet pepper. Simmer for another 3 minutes, then add the other pile of sliced squash blossoms.
- Continue simmering for 2 minutes, then take the mixture off of the heat. Stir in coconut cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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