One of the pleasures of summer for me is eating zucchini blossoms. Tossed in a pan with their young zucchini and saffron, they are the perfect dressing for a summery dish of tagliatelle. Zucchini flowers make the perfect appetizer if stuffed Roman-style with mozzarella and anchovies and deep-fried. Or plain. Or stuffed with burrata!! Yummy!
Well, today I got lucky and I had a chance to go the Farmers Market. I had a blast and came home with figs, grapes, goat ricotta, Texan pasta, and, of course, zucchini blossoms!! :D I’ll become a regular at this market. One of the most difficult things for me here is to find REAL organic products, not only local; and these guys are really doing a superb job. Opening and washing the flowers, I also had a fun meeting tonight with three minuscule green caterpillars :D That’s called ORGANIC. And that’s why you need to always check and rinse everything more than once!! LOL
INGREDIENTS
12 zucchini blossoms
6 anchovies
1 small mozzarella
For the batter
1 big egg
3 tbsp of flour
1/2 cup of cold beer
For deep-frying
2 cups of sunflower or canola oil
DIRECTIONS
- Remove the stem of the zucchini flowers. You can either use a tweezer from the top or cut the bottom and let the stem slip out. Wash the flowers carefully under cold water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Be aware of any little friend who might live there!
- Cut the mozzarella into strips 1/4 inch wide and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Slice the anchovies in half lengthwise. Insert a strip of mozzarella and the anchovy into each flower and close the blossoms rolling tight and twisting the end to keep the filling inside.
- Prepare the batter. Beat the eggs, add some flour, dilute with the beer. Repeat and whisk carefully until you get a dense, creamy texture.
- Bring to boil the oil in a tall saucepan. Check the temperature with a thermometer (or with the bottom of a wooden spoon: if you see frying around it, the oil is ready).
- Dip each flower into the batter, coating it completely, and place it into the hot oil. Gently turn it and it gets golden. I use a bamboo tong and I find it perfect. Remove and set on paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
- Serve the flowers in batches just as they come out of the pan, so they don’t get soggy.
NOTES
- The beer must be VERY cold. You can even fill up a second, bigger bowl with ice and stack your smaller bowl with the egg batter in it.
- Use the blossoms as soon as possible, as they will wilt within a day!
