Fiori di Zucca

While this might not be the most practical recipe to be talking, it was pretty cool to use an exotic ingredient like these flowers. They are an ingredient that are only around for a very short time during the year, and this happens to be that time. Lucky for me I didn't have to buy them from the grocery store, or a local farmers market, because they can be quite expensive, my Grandpa keeps up a small garden and grows zucchini, the flowers were all blooming so he let me take some to cook with. I've never eaten a zucchini flower let alone cook with one so I was excited to get a chance to try it out. Since it was my first time cooking with this flower I did a little recipe searching and most recipes I had had you fry the flower in a light batter, or stuff them with a cheese like ricotta, or both. I did both I made a real simple batter and stuffed the flower with lightly caramelized shallots and garlic mixed in to ricotta. I thought they came out really well, they tasted great, I only wish I could use them more often, since it was such a tasty and easy dish to prepare. For some reason my brother and my mom were afraid to try them, they claimed that since I had to clean a bunch of bugs out of them before I cooked them, the bugs were all they could think about and they couldn't get over it. Their loss I guess because they won't be able to give them a try again until next years crop. If you can get your hands on these flowers I highly recommend you giving them a try, they're not a main dish, but I had them as a side to a bowl of spaghetti and it worked really well, dipped in the spaghetti sauce the flowers was even better.

Fried and Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

About 12 flowers

Batter:

3/4 c flour

1 c water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, set aside for the prepared flowers.

Zucchini Flowers:

12 flowers

1/2 c ricotta cheese

1 shallot, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for frying

First, clean all bugs out of the flowers. Yes this may sound kind of unappetizing but you have to remember that these are flowers, and bugs like flowers. I suppose if you got them from a store or farmer's market they probably shouldn't have many bugs in them, but since mine were freshly picked they did. Anyway, its better to check for them than eat a bug.

Next mix bring a frying pan to medium low heat and caramelize the shallots and garlic until slightly browned and very fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

While the shallots and garlic cool, gently pull out the stamen, or pisil from each flower, the flowers are very delicate so be careful.

When the shallots and garlic cooled down mix them with the ricotta. Then carefully fill each flower with about a teaspoon of the mixture, depending on the size of the flower.

Finally, bring the olive oil, in a frying pan, on medium heat, up to a good temperature for frying (you will know the oil is ready when it starts to ripple and very slightly smoke). Then dip a flower in the batter, while slightly twisting the top of the flower closed and fry until golden brown, turning the flower over once in the pan. When the flowers are done frying place on a paper towel to drain some of the oil and sprinkle each flower with a pinch of salt. Serve warm.

Eat well, Live well