Cooking on Orange Street: Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Shiitake Risotto and Heirloom Tomatoes

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, and boy is there a lot to catch up on! In particular, I'll probably be making a big announcement soon... but not yet.

First things first. The bounty of summer continues, and Chef K and I have made a few interesting things lately for the first time. (Or shall I say, I've had the opportunity to watch Chef K make a few interesting things and contribute from time to time when asked.)

Last summer I was so crestfallen when we bought squash blossoms not one, but two times and I watched them rot in the fridge as they got pushed to the back and we forgot about them. I vowed this wouldn't happen this year. So when squash blossoms reappeared at the market recently we snatched a bag and put them to use the very next day.

First Chef K improvised a pastry bag with this extra tip he had at home attached to a plastic sandwich baggie in order to stuff the flowers with a mix of turkey sausage and chevre...

Then he breaded them with a simple combo of egg and flour and threw them into a pan with oil...

Meanwhile, I worked on the risotto, mixing in carrots, onions and shiitake and stirring constantly just like they tell you to.

We cut up red and green heirloom tomatoes to finish off the dish. Voila, the pretty final product! It was quite tasty, too, I might add. :)