.png)
Hungry for more? This recipes was featured in a podcast episode!
This quick and easy recipe results in a super cool appetizer. I mean, how often can you say you eat flowers? If you or someone you know grows zucchini in their garden, get them to harvest a few of the flowers off the plant before they open and impress them with this delicate & delicious treat!
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook time: 15
Yield: 12-15
Ingredients
Zucchini Flower Filling
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
30g parmesan cheese, grated
30g mozzarella cheese, grated
1 egg
salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste
Batter (makes enough for 6-8 flowers)
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Gluten-free Batter (makes enough for 6-8 flowers)
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Directions
Zucchini Flower Filling
Harvest 12-18 zucchini flowers fresh from the zucchini plant. They can be male or female and the flowers should be closed.
In a medium bowl, mix together the three cheeses, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Place the filling in a piping bag and fill each flower with the cheese mixture. Not too much, just enough to fill it without making it bulge or leak out the top. This amount will vary depending on the size of your flowers.
Place the filled flowers on a plate in the refrigerator while you make up the batter.
Batter & Fry (follow for both types of batter)
In a medium bowl combine all the batter ingredients beating with a whisk to make the batter smooth. Set aside.
Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a medium sized dutch oven with 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch of oil.
Heat the oil over medium-high. Place your filled zucchini flowers and your batter next to your hot pan of oil. Coat each flower with batter and gently place in the oil.
Let the flower sizzle and cook on the first side until it easily releases from the bottom of the pan and is nice and brown at the edges. Turn and cook on all three sides.
Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to allow the excess oil to be absorbed.
Repeat with the remaining flowers.
Serve hot!
Zhuzh it up!
To test when the oil in the pan is ready for frying I drop a bit of batter off a spoon into the oil. If the batter does not immediately start to sizzle, wait a bit longer and try again. When the batter starts to sizzle when it drops into the pan, your ready to fry your flowers.
It is better to fry in small batches, when I made this I did 3 at a time. Remember to keep testing the heat between batches so the oil doesn't get too hot or too cool while you are frying.
If you make this with the female flowers, keep the little zucchini fruit attached to the flower and fry the whole thing up - this was our favourite!
This amazing recipe was adapted from Dennis Littley. Find it on the website Ask Chef Dennis: