So last week, at my now beloved Ferry Building Farmer's Market, I happened upon a little something that I'd heard a lot about, but had never actually seen/touched/tasted/etc. I found them at a tiny corner stall, little yellow blooms in plastic containers pushed out of the way, all the attention going to the enormous strawberries to their side. But I noticed them. Oh boy, did I notice them. And for the past week, I've been eating them.
Zucchini blossoms are so fun and weird. I was thrilled to take them home and felt very in-the-know when I took them out of my shopping bag. Then, I was scared. What was I supposed to do with them? I picked one up, turned it around by the stem. It was a flower. I was about to eat a flower. Oh my. I popped it in my mouth. Yup. In case I had any doubts, it indeed tasted like flower.
I can't say it was bad, and I also can't say I really tasted it. The inside of my mouth was caught up in a bizarre struggle, that strange battle that ensues when one tastes something out of the ordinary for the first time: Brain says to Mouth, "Swish it around and explore the flavor," only to have Mouth try to force the new organism past the tongue and straight down the gullet.
Once the blossoms were cooked, however, Mouth was terribly pleased. My go-to cooking method has been to sautee them with a little bit of spray oil, sprinkle them with salt and eat them while they're still hot. They're like floral french fries that way, and the first night I just gobbled them up. I can only hope to see them served as street food one day...
I've eaten the sauteed blossoms in a scramble of eggs and Parmesan cheese, and tangled with nutty whole wheat pasta and Parmesan cheese (I really like Parmesan cheese). Still, I like them best without much fuss, hot and at once crispy and tender, straight from hand to mouth.
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