Three Generations of Squash

Monday 30 July

Did we mention that we're up to our hips in zephyr squash and blossoms?
  
And that there are limits as to how many times you can stuff squash blossoms with mozzarella and anchovy, batter them, and fry them?  That's why this recipe, though again madly complicated, seemed attractive.

It used seasoned goat cheese for stuffing the blossoms!  (Okay, yes, then they got battered and fried.)  And hey, we had our own sungold tomatoes (which we roasted for only a half hour), and even pumpkin seeds (pepitas) in the freezer.

As usual, we made changes: to flesh out this light appetizer for 4, we trimmed, halved, boiled (8 mins) and then fried (3 mins. a side) a batch of baby artichokes.

The benrinered raw zephyrs and their dressing went on the bottom (first generation); 

then the artichokes, tomatoes, and pepitas (second generation);

and finally the stuffed and fried squash blossoms (third generation) garnished the top. 

Though the finished dish was impressive, many of the garnishes seemed mere trimming, not intrinsic to the flavors; next time we'll go back to something simpler.