Fried Chicken and Pumpkin Blossoms, exclusively Skirt in the Kitchen
Fried crispy chicken and pumpkin blossoms go hand-in-hand just as well as a cheeseburger and fries but it takes eating a pumpkin flower for the first time to know it. Cooked in the same oil and meat drippings, the blossoms take on the seasonings while keeping a natural sweetness within their orange blooms that are slightly softened while having a crispy exterior. It’s a crunch that you’ll want to munch, then be glad that you did. They are full of nutrients and are perfectly safe to eat if organically raised with their offspring-the pumpkins. They have more Vitamin C and folic acid than pumpkins. They are high in calcium and phosphorus. They also have a lot of water, making it easy for them to become slimy if not fried immediately. Yet, they serve as a vegetable to accompany the meat dish. Better than chicken? Perhaps or just as good as fried chicken on its best day.
It is wise to gather these in the very early morning hours before they are found wilted and shriveled from the heat in the afternoon. Pumpkin blossoms naturally fall off the vines on their own. There are plenty that you can find that are recently on the ground or in the grass. Just a tap on a stem can loosen them if it’s their time to fall, giving you a clue that they are ready to break free, because they will. They’ve done their job-they reproduced or not at all. They left baby pumpkins to fend for themselves or they lived barren. Like humans, they have a life form and a reproduction system, having either a female part or a male gender.
After gathering the spent blossoms, keep them chilled in parchment paper. Do not clean them until it’s time to fry them; otherwise, they will break down and become mush.
(for 3 pounds chicken)
With a fork, combine 1 tablespoon white vinegar in 1 cup whole milk. Allow to rest for 15 minutes, then whisk 3/3 of it (homemade buttermilk) into 3 whisked eggs.
In another dish, have dry ingredients ready-2 cups Panko bread crumbs and 2 cups regular flour. The Japanese bread crumbs are essential for the pumpkin blossoms. Add seasonings of 1 tablespoon smoked paprika and Weber Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning-3 to 4 tablespoons, possibly more. Dip chicken into wet batter, then into flour; double-dip if you’d like, but not the pumpkin blooms since they are thin.
Handle with care so they don’t break apart, but do open the petals to lightly clean them with fingertips and to make sure there are no bugs. A small brush, like an art brush, but for culinary purposes is ideal for even the outer portion. I only pull out the inside centers, the reproductive parts only if it’s slimy. Some barely have a slight tartness, and I like that, so I fry up the reproductive tools!…
Keep everything intact, even the base and stiff “leaves”. It’s all good, healthy, and beneficial.
On each side, it takes just 3 minutes to fry. Sprinkle with salt.
It’s a boy.
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