There’s a brilliant Italian restaurant in Sydney that serves heavenly zucchini flowers stuffed with 4 different cheeses and deep fried to crispy perfection.
For those of you wondering, it’s Cafe Sopra at Fratelli Fresh.
Now that I have my own little veggie garden, at the moment there is an abundance of zucchini flowers.
Since I still have some fear around deep frying, I’ve been looking for other ways to incorporate these beauties into my cooking.
Here are my 5 favourites (in order of preference):
1. On the BBQ
Slice in half lengthwise and cook on the BBQ for a few minutes until just wilted. Serve with thin slices of BBQ zucchini and a squeeze of lemon. If you don’t have a BBQ, pan frying would also work.
2. In Salads
Just finely slice and add to salads. Lovely with raw shaved zucchini & a lemon and olive oil dressing.
3. Baked
Pop them in for the last 10 minutes when you’re roasting other veg. Or roast them solo with a drizzle of olive oil for 10 minutes at about 180C (350F).
4. In soups
I picked this idea up from a wonderful soup I had in Mexico years ago. Just halve the flowers and serve on top of the soup. Great with veg based or tomato soups.
5. Stuffed & baked.
A lovely starter idea. Stuff each flower with a combo of ricotta and parmesan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C (350F). Serve drizzled with basil oil or pesto.
Cheers,
Jules x
ps. You won’t find any zucchin flower recipes in the Tired & Hungry Cooks Companion. Just simple, healthy meals that can be made in minutes.
For more details go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/tiredhungrycookscompanion/
