Zucchini-lecious!

What a treat to have succulent Zucchini flowers on the menu this summer.  I have been growing Zucchinis in my garden solely for the task of making stuffed Zucchini Flowers – Italian Style (Fiori de zucca).

Freshly picked zucchini flowers from mum's garden

Our Zucchini plant had six flowers crying out to be dipped in batter and deep fried! I picked them, removed the stamen, stuffed them with fresh mozzarella, an anchovy and a basil leaf, and deep fried them in tempura batter, dusting the finished product with sea salt.

Deep frying at home, non stick wok, not ideal.... 

Celebrity chefs often say “Don’t be afraid to deep fry at home!” Not so long ago a home deep fryer was an essential kitchen gadget, my family sold theirs in a garage sale some years ago, so I had to resort to using a wok (warning: don’t deep fry in a cheap non stick wok see pic below)

Finished product, complete with non-coating remnants (lucky it looks like cracked pepper)

Non stick coating aside, biting into the flowers through the crisp batter was amazing.  The flower oozes saltiness from the anchovy but was delicately balanced by the creamy mozzarella and juiciness of the zucchini flower.  These were not only delish but very Moorish, like all things deep fried!

What you need to know in a nutshell:

1. Get your flowers fresh, steal them from friends or buy them at the market, this time of year is perfect, use them the same day if possible
2. There are two types of flowers a male (attached to the stem) and a female (at the end of a zucchini), both are edible
3. The only prep you need to do is remove the stamens of the flowers
4. You can virtually stuff anything in side the Zucchini flowers some suggestions ricotta, feta, prosciutto, capers, olives, anchovies, herbs….anything salty and flavorsome works a treat
5. I used a tempura batter recipe that used ice cold water rather than soda water, I would try it again with soda water as it would lighten the texture, rice flour would also work well and increase the crispiness of the batter!