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

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. Prepare the batter. Beat the eggs, add some flour, dilute with the beer. Repeat and whisk carefully until you get a dense, creamy texture.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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!