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Favourite flavours - zucchini flowers (fiori di zucca)

2/1/2015

30 Comments

 
Male zucchini flowers - and cooking with zucchini blossoms by Good Things
I think I may have given one of my neighbours and the driver of our rubbish collection service a chuckle today. Both happened to come along the back service lane just as I popped outside to the kitchen garden to pluck some fresh zucchini flowers in the cool light of the early morning. If the sight of a half-asleep woman, scissors in hand and wearing a slinky Peter Alexander robe, didn't make them smile, the happy dance I did when I found several fiori di zucca ready to pick certainly must have.

The doyenne of Italian cookery, Lorenza de'Medici, reminds us that the large edible flowers are 'a zucchini culinary plus'. In her book, A Passion for Vegetables, she writes that she fries them in a light batter, or stuffs them with a little ricotta or mozzarella and chopped herbs, before gently frying them in olive oil. Fiori di Zucchini fritti or fried zucchini flowers seems to be one of the most popular ways of preparing the little gems. Commendatore Antonio Carluccio, says the fritters can be served as a starter or with aperitifs and are ideal for those summer days when you don't want to cook a huge meal. 

Interestingly, Signora de'Medici is adamant that zucchini 'should be called zucchini, not courgettes, as some French chef in London must have done decades ago.' To add weight to that statement, she refers to the learned opinion of food historian, Alan Davidson, who says in The Oxford Companion to Food that it was the Italians who first marketed 'zucchini' under that name.

Zucchini flowers have a delicate texture and subtle flavour. Those pictured in my photograph above are the male flowers, indicated by the delicate stem, whereas the female flowers have a tiny baby zucchini attached. Renowned chef and restaurateur, Stefano Manfredi, says he prefers the female as ' that little zucchini provides a functional and edible handle'. Chef Manfredi makes a tempura batter and carefully opens the ends of the flowers, then stuffs them with a combination of grated parmesan, gruyere, breadcrumbs and herbs, dips them in batter and finally fries them in hot oil until they are golden. Delizioso!

'When this is good it's very, very good, and when it's limp it's a disaster,' says Frances Mayes in The Tuscan Sun Cookbook. To avoid failure, the oil must maintain a steady temperature and the flowers must be absolutely fresh, she adds. Sage advice to be followed, methinks.

Deep fried zucchini blossoms look stunning arranged atop risotto made with young zucchini, a la the Valentina Harris mode of cooking. For this, you'll need to prepare a risotto flavoured with half a dozen thinly sliced baby zucchini.  The mozzarella-stuffed, battered and fried flowers are used to decorate the finished dish. 

Another lovely way of using the flowers is to make a frittata ai fiori di zucca. Chef Dominique Rizzo delves into her Sicilian origins to present this recipe in her book, My Taste of Sicily. To make this frittata, you'll need 15 flowers to six eggs, 60ml of olive oil, 20g grated parmesan, fresh baby herbs and some sliced spring onions. Combine the ingredients in a bowl, then pour them into a heated cast iron pan, then cook for about three minutes. What could be simpler, or more exquisite?!

With several zucchini plants in the garden, I'm looking forward to trying each of these methods over the summer, as well as experimenting with some of my own ideas. For now, I see a small frittata on the menu for our lunch. Buon appetito!
Tell me dear readers, do you grow zucchini? Have you tried cooking with zucchini blossoms? What is your favourite way of preparing them? Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment, or send an email. I really appreciate hearing from you!  ت

30 Comments
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link
1/1/2015 04:41:04 pm

Oh I didn't realise that it was the female one with the little "handle"! They seem to be the ones that we get at restaurants. You learn something new every day! :)

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:01:57 pm

It's interesting, isn't it, Lorraine. I thought the little boy would have the 'handle' :D

Reply
Janie link
1/1/2015 09:44:57 pm

They are such pretty flowers, and you're right they taste heavenly! They are also a great way of keeping a courgette plant under control :)
Happy New Year Lizzy, I hope 2015 is a corker!
Janie x

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:02:32 pm

Happy new year lovely Janie... oooh, I didn't know that plucking those keeps the plant under control! Good thing!

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Jane @ Shady Baker link
1/1/2015 10:08:19 pm

Beautiful photo Lizzy! I do grow zucchini...this year it has been the Long Florence variety from the Diggers Club. In the past I have stuffed zucchini flowers with homemade ricotta, basil leaves and plenty of salt and pepper. I then slow roast them until the cheese is firm and the flower is crispy.

This year I haven't cooked any because the flowers are always full of ants, bees or wasps and I have decided it is easier to let nature takes its course! x

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:03:04 pm

Hi Jane... I love the thought of baking the stuffed flowers... yes, ants can be a problem : /

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Kavey link
2/1/2015 07:02:48 am

There's something wonderful about picking one's own isn't it?

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:03:23 pm

Isn't there ever, Kavey! : )

Reply
Mrs Mulberry link
2/1/2015 07:16:57 am

So beautiful Lizzy. I bought my father in law a packet of seeds from Italy which are just for the flowers only - we have had the most amazing crop xx

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:03:47 pm

Oh wow, Mrs M, I did not know such things existed xo

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Amanda link
2/1/2015 08:03:48 am

Such a delicate looking flower that lends itself so very well to stuffing & deep frying - I love them with ricotta.

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:04:05 pm

Yummy Amanda!

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Maureen | Orgasmic Chef link
2/1/2015 10:03:05 am

What a treat zucchini flowers are. When I had my big garden in Victoria I grew extra zucchini one year just so I could have the flowers. SO many flowers I dug the plant up. I wish I had it now because your post is making me hungry.

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:04:23 pm

Oh wow, Maureen, what a great idea!

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Gourmet Getaways link
2/1/2015 12:21:27 pm

In the Philippines, pumpkin flowers were a traditional ingredient in a vegetable dish. Fried zucchini flowers sound great! The colour itself is a temptress!!

Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:04:49 pm

Hi ladies... pumpkin, yes, what a fab idea! xo

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Francesca link
2/1/2015 02:16:50 pm

I guess the English call zucchini by the name of courgette because much of their culinary influence comes from their nearest neighbour, France and not Italy. They also call eggplant aubergine, and follow the French in many other areas. The English also mispronounce pasta - Jamie Oliver, for all his Italian influence, still likes to flatten the 'a' in pasta, and they almost swallow the word Dante.( but I am digressing from the topic of food)
That book by Dominique Rizzo is a beauty. I have been working my way through this lately- it is a gem.
With regard to the flowers, pumpkin flowers or fiori di zucca are just as favoured in Italy as those of their little cousins, zucchini.

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:05:18 pm

It is a lovely book, isn't it Francesca... and how about pumpkin flowers... lovely!

Reply
David link
3/1/2015 03:52:25 am

Marknand I love zucchini blossoms! So envious of those beauties from your garden! It will only be a couple more months before they resurface in our farmers market. When I stuff them, I often bake them gratin-style to avoid frying. But I love them fried. We also like them in risotto.

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:05:49 pm

Oh yes, David, I have to try these in risotto, don't I! Thanks for sharing your story and for being a regular reader here xo

Reply
Hotly Spiced link
3/1/2015 06:33:30 am

I do love Stefano Manfredi. And I love zucchini flowers, especially cooked in a light tempura batter. Such a great entree xx

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:06:18 pm

Isn't Stefano wonderful, Charlie! And what a great entree xo Happy travels.

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Merryn link
4/1/2015 10:29:12 am

What a fantastic zucchini flower pizza. I love the tasty flower morsels and this is so pretty it would be delectable. Your description of the zucchini flower frittata is amazing too, I will have to try this as picking the flowers only encourage the courgettes to grow more :D

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:06:43 pm

Hi Merryn, thanks for stopping by and thank you for your kind words.

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Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas link
4/1/2015 01:32:01 pm

My plants aren't producing enough flowers to eat at the moment. It seems every day I am only getting one male and female, and then I have to play matchmaker to get some bigger zucchini. I also notice the ants are eating the flowers more than in previous years. Nature!

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:07:21 pm

Tania, I planted some lavender and also some lamb's ears in amongst my vegetable garden last year and this year things are going great guns... more bees!

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Susan's Sumptuous Suppers link
4/1/2015 03:42:18 pm

Liz, there are some wonderful ideas there! I adore zucchini flowers. You may recall they were my favourite seasonal dish in our Canberra Times article. (Of course I could never actually choose a favourite dish overall!). The risotto suggestion has inspired me though. Perhaps I will give it a try, or my own variation thereof!

Reply
Lizzy
6/1/2015 05:07:52 pm

What a lovely idea, Susan... I hope you can find some flowers! Thanks for stopping by xo

Reply
Anna @ shenANNAgans link
6/1/2015 11:47:28 pm

Well Ill be... Very interesting, I didn't know that there was such a thing as male or female veggies. LOL! Thanks for the fun fact. :) I haven't grown zucchini before, but will I think, they are a great substitute for the starchy veggies. :) When I was a chef and the flowers became very popular, I totally thought the foodie gurus had flipped it, turns out... They were totally onto something. #yarm

Reply
Lizzy
8/1/2015 02:31:11 pm

They really are good, aren't they! And isn't it curious that the female plants have the little 'handle' : D

Reply

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