May Kulinarya Theme: Flores De Mayo

   And so this is my post!...

   I got all caught up with so many activities last April, and I was so sorry I was not able to post something for the Decadence Theme.   So when I received the email concerning the new theme which was for May I got so excited.  Our family was not really drawn to fiestas and celebrating patrons and the likes, but we do celebrate God's goodness and wonders through His creations, mostly on those that are edible, hehehe.  One of the beauties that most cooks wonder if they could use it in the kitchen are the flowers.  There were a lot of  flowers who can be eaten.   I've tried decorating a simple chocolate cake with sugar-coated rose petals from my garden.   I've eaten Nama Bars topped with dried Lavander flowers.   Blossoms of katuray, squash and malunggay have been used in dishes in our province in Bohol.  They are just to name a few.

To be honest I had so many things in mind to start off my May theme.   I asked hubby if we could visit Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay from some inspiration, cause I've heard they have something on their menu which has fresh flowers in it but we were not able to.   Tried to look for recipes in the net, didn't had the luck.

Then I went to the market and saw these lovelies.

These are blossoms of male winter squash locally known  here in Manila as kalabasa.  These are typically used for veggie dishes such as Dining-ding and Pinakbet.   And I have never tried cooking with it.   It was not hard for me to think of a dish.  I'm used to experimenting in the kitchen and what the heck.

How can anyone go wrong with fried and crunched male winter squash flowers (bulaklak ng kalabasa).

My kids love anything fried.  To make the dish inviting I added shrimps to fill the center.

Here are the ingredients:

20 pcs large kalabasa blossoms or more (remove the stem)
1/2 K of shrimps, cooked and diced
2 eggs, 1 for the filling and one for the coating
1 med. onion, chopped
dried banana blossoms,chopped
flour
salt, pepper and paprika

Here is how to do it:
For the filling, mix in a bowl the shrimps, onions, banana blossoms, egg, flour, and the seasonings.
Once mixed properly, fill each flower with a tablespoon of the mixture.  You don't have to close the top, as long as the mix is sticky enough and not runny.
Dip the flowers in beaten egg and dredge with flour and salt or with chicken coating mixture.
Deep fry each flower in canola or corn oil.
I know, it is that easy!

The glorious frittata!

   The experiment should I say was a success. My kids are always asking me when I will cook these again.   Even my eldest son who is a picky eater and don't like veggies, loved it.   He never have guessed it was a flower.   So I hope I contributed something to Kulinarya and may everyone have more fun in the kitchen as I've always been!