Marriage has sure kept me busy. I’ve had so little time after work to post recipes and honestly, I was in a bit of a rut.
However today my luck has changed! I made the most awesome fried, stuffed zucchini flowers!
They are most commonly prepared dipped in batter, deep fried and with a sprinkle of salt. That’s how my Grandmother, Nonna Rosina made them.
Blossoms are prepared in the summer, for the brief and precious time when they are in bloom. Lucky for me, growing up in St-Leonard, my grandmother lived just downstairs from us! So, it was a real treat whenever I stumbled upon them while raiding her fridge. Jaaackpot.
They were great hot or cold, straight from the fridge.
You can sometimes find blossoms at a market such as the Marche Jean-Talon. There are lots of Italians there 🙂 so they may be easier to come by. I have “special ordered” them from Marche de L’Ouest but they were pricey. There’s no demand in the West Island so you gotta pay to get ’em!
This year I finally planted zucchini in my garden and although I love zucchini, my real motive was to obtain the flowers…these soon to be, lovely fried blossoms from heaven.
-The flowers and the leaves are beautiful.
-They are very easy to grow and take care of.
-One plant produces quite a few flowers.
I bought the seeds at Reno-Depot believe it or not!
I recommend that you plant several, if you want to make batches of 12 flowers at a time.
Not all of the flowers from one plant bloom at the same time so you’ll have more blooming week after week!
They are great plain – no doubt, but I wanted to try something a little different this time. I have a few Italian Food Network chefs which I look to for inspiration in times like these.
In this case, it was David Rocco who was going to guide me.
Check out his website http://www.davidrocco.com/ ..BUT NOT RIGHT NOW – read my post first! David Rocco is living my dream! He’s from Canada and now lives in Florence, cooking away, seemingly loving his Florentine lifestyle… ah well….
Anyway, I used my recipe for the batter & David’s for the stuffing.
He stuffs his flowers with a piece of mozzarella cheese and an anchovy filet.
DON’T run for the hills people!! I know that when you read “anchovy” you nearly shut down your computer right there….You don’t have to use the anchovy but let me explain why I loved this idea before you say no. I like a little anchovy here and there but I can’t say I love it.
Ok enough anchovy persuasion….You can opt to stuff them with Feta cheese like local chef Franca Mazza does. Feta is salty enough on its own. (use only the good quality greek Feta please), You can also just use plain mozzarella.
With a dry dishtowel or soft pastry brush, gently brush off any dirt on the flower. Do not rinse with water. Check inside for any insects and shake them out.
Gently reach into the flower without breaking the petals and very gently remove the inner stamen.
Stuff zucchini flowers with an anchovy filet and a strip of mozzarella.
**NOTE: I use a medium sized pot and put about 2 inches of oil. // I used peanut oil this time – worked out well.
Gently coat stuffed zucchini flowers with batter.
Fry zucchini flowers in oil until golden brown.
The oil must be hot, so be careful. I have a gas stove top and I heated my oil on med-high but then lowered it to med when I thought the oil was getting too volatile. Usually the oil starts to , as I say, get too excited after about the 4th – 5th flower so I lowered the heat slightly.
On the other hand, when frying, if your oil is not hot enough, your food will absorb too much of the oil making it heavy and obviously, too oily. Gross!
I like using a medium sized pot rather than a frying pan. There is less splatter. The high sides of the pot protect you somewhat. Also, I didn’t have to use as much oil this way.
i agree, wordpress is much easier to navigate! i love this recipe- i have some zucchini flowers in my garden so i will definitely give it a go!