Battered Up

This is definitely the harvest season where all sorts of fruits and veggies abound..Every home chef gets excited with what to do with them. A novel idea is batter dipping them and frying them .They make a fun appetizer or interesting dessert.

Anything fried may disgust or revolt those who are big into eating healthy. You can try baking too, as there are plenty of recipes regarding baking batter dipped foods.They are tastier as seen in the Piedmontese summer classic fried squash blossoms. My family has probably been making them for centuries If you're growing squash , this is a great way  to use the blooms and they do make interesting and delicious appetizers. I used a traditional recipe, one cup of water mixed with one cup of flour. One egg and a tablespoon of olive oil is added and the batter is chilled. For the perfect batter make it about an hour to an hour and a half before frying so the batter is completely cold. The resulting batter is very dense however . You can sub in 1/2 cup of sparkling water. This will create a lighter and fluffier consistency and also makes for a crisper flower.The squash flowers can be baked however they are usually stuffed either with ricotta or meat. Ripened squash itself is yummy sliced, battered and fried. Add beer for more flavor Zucchini can also be made this way as well. A batter made with cornstarch is your best bet with these and it will create a nice crisp coating when cooked.up

Tomatoes can be battered too but be warmed - only certain batters work. I tried the squash flower batter on them, having made too  much of it.It didn't stick, sliding off in little piles onto   the frying pan. This is probably due to the tomatoes being too watery ,Most  home chefs usually use green tomatoes (maybe that was my first mistake using too ripe ones). Beer batter works the best for them also you can also panko too.string beans can be batter dipped. These are usually first dipped in buttermilk or beaten egg first and then dredged in cornmeal or panko breadcrumbs. Surprisingly fruits can be batter dipped as well. They actually become juicer when they're coated and cooked this way. The coating is more of a yeast based one Club soda is used for a frothy consistency and then the berries are fried in canola oil. They can be dusted with confectioners sugar or dipped in chocolate after frying. Peaches and nectarines, also in harvest right now, can also be battered and fried.The batter offered with them is a simple one, without yeast.It does need baking powder to create a lighter , airier coating. The fruit is peeled and cut into quarters and then dusted with a mix of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg before dipping.

Batter up the fruits and veggies of the season for some flavorful eating. It's an easy technique that just  requires a  skillet and some oil. Try it with some squash flowers or strawberries.