Stuffed Zucchini Flowers Fried like a Heavenly Treat!

I see so many zucchini blossoms grown in my home garden, and I thought of making stuffed zucchini flowers, which I ate a lot in Rome from my grandma’s kitchen. My grandma made them from zucchini blossoms, stuffing, and batter. The flowers produced by other squash plants, such as pumpkin, can also be prepared similarly. They are just stuffed, battered, and fried!

Last Sunday, an old Italian woman stopped by my home because she noticed I was growing squash flowers in my garden. She said she needed just 6 of them to make these special treats for her family. It made me feel good to make her so happy. I knew about this process but have never tried it myself. I have enough buds to try it. It reminded me of my grandma as she passed away. I miss her so much, so I am making this nostalgic Italiano Treat at home.

What are Zucchini blossoms?

We all love zucchini or courgettes. But did you know the flowers or blossoms of zucchini plants are also a wonderful delicacy? They are trendy in Italy and are called “Fiori Di Zucchina (flower of zucchini)” or “Fior Di Zucca.” These particular flowers are from the zucchini or courgette plant. Two types of flowers come from a zucchini or courgette plant: stand-alone and vegetable.

Where to get zucchini flowers?

If you buy your flower, you should use it on the day you buy it. If you harvest your own, it can stay in the fridge for about a day. I wouldn’t recommend keeping them any longer, and it is still best to use them as soon as possible.

Why will you love these stuffed zucchini flowers?

• A Great Appetizer: Stuffed fior di zucca is served as an appetizer (or Antipasto), side dish, or main dish at family gatherings or occasions. It is easy to make with basic and simple ingredients, like stuffing. You can also dip the flowers in batter and fry them.
• Crispy and creamy: Creamy stuffing filled with flowers and crispy light coating is a beautiful swirl of flavors, which tells us why we Italians are crazy about these filled zucchini flowers.
• Heavenly recipe for Home Garden squash flowers: Usually, we grow squash vegetables at home without realizing what we can do with these flowers, and as the season changes, these blossoms go to waste. This recipe is excellent, tasty, and impressive for everyone who loves home gardening.

Which blossoms should I pluck off my zucchini plant?

Male and female blooms appear on courgette plants. To tell the difference, the female zucchini flower has squash (baby zucchini) at the bottom, while the male flower has a stem and flower. I remember my grandma always preferring to pick the male flowers, which are delicate and perfect for cooking. Although female flowers also taste good, you can use both. I picked male flowers from my garden today, so yeah!

How do you clean and wash delicate blossoms?

This is the most essential part of preparing flowers. We cook flowers fast, so we must remove the pistil from the inside of the flower. The pistil is inside the bottom of the flower and holds the stigma, style, and ovary. If you don’t know what that means, look inside the flower, then you will know what I mean. If you cook the flowers on pizza in a wood oven, it will not cook quickly and taste bitter. For slow cooking, you must remove this part.

Open the flower petal and put a constant stream of water in it using a kitchen tap. Then, wash from the outside of the petals. Remove the inner pistil with your fingers, kitchen tweezers, or a small knife. If you damage the flower petals a little bit, don’t worry. You can still deep fry them. Once you remove the pistil, rinse the inside of the flower, then close it up and rinse from the outside if you still need to do it. If your flower is slightly open, you can twist the petals together to create a gentle seal. Dry the flowers on some kitchen towel or paper.

Ingredients for Making Zucchini Flower Recipe

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• Zucchini blossoms _ Squash blossoms are edible flowers that are most abundantly grown in summer in home gardens. Take 20 of them. They are delicate and have a slightly sweet taste.  If you don’t have them grown in your garden, don’t worry; they are easily available at farmers’ markets or Italian stores. By the way, I use it in my garden.
• All-purpose flour _ 1 cup is enough to make the batter for 15 flowers.
• Cold Sparkling water _ Cold sparkling water or soda water makes the blossoms crispier when fried. This cold soda water helps the flower get a crispier texture.
• Oil for frying _ Most people find the frying process messy and annoying, but its frying process is smooth. I used sunflower oil for frying as it is neutral. Avocado or olive oil are good options for frying the fried zucchini flower recipe.
• Cheese _ My favorite ricotta cheese with parmesan is always on my priority list while making cheesy fillings. Take a 1/2 cup of ricotta and two tablespoons parmesan. You can also use provolone, Boursin, or mozzarella.  
• Spinach _ Two tablespoons of chopped spinach is enough for stuffing, as it gives the filling a fresh green flavor. Basil leaves can do the same thing.
• Lemon zest _ Two teaspoons of lemon outer peel give the stuffing a citrus flavor. I like lemon zest a lot when stuffing.
• Mix salt and black pepper in batter and stuffing to adjust the taste.

How to Cook Zucchini Blossoms?

1.Wash the Flowers

Remove the pistil, wash, clean, and rinse the fresh zucchini blossoms. 

2.Zucchini Flower Stuffing

Combine the ricotta, parmesan, spinach, lemon peel, and seasonings (salt and black pepper). Mix all the ingredients well, and the ricotta stuffing will be ready.

3. Stuff the Blossoms

Fill the ricotta herb stuffing into each flower to make stuffed zucchini blossoms, and twist the flower from the top to seal it.

4.Make the Batter

Take All-purpose flour in a bowl and add sparkling water, salt, and black pepper. Mix them to make a batter with no lumps and the right consistency, like pancake batter. It shouldn’t be too thick or thin. Adjust the consistency by adding sparkling water.

5.Get the Oil Ready for Frying

Put some frying oil (I’ve used sunflower) in a pot and heat it to 170-180 C. You can use a cooking oil thermometer to determine the temperature. If you don’t have a way to check the temperature, pour a tiny piece of batter into the pan. It should sizzle quickly, float to the top, and bubble rapidly.

6.Fry the Stuffed Flowers

Hold a flower from the stem and dip the entire stuffed flower in batter. Hold it down a bit so that some excess batter may fall off, and then quickly drop it in the oil. After some time, turn it around and cook on both sides until golden brown and crispy.

7.Dish it Out and Enjoy

Once it’s cooked, place the flower on a thick kitchen towel that will absorb the excess oil. Serve in an excellent dish and enjoy!

Recipe Variation

• Eggs in the batter is a variation of this dish. Whisk the egg whites till it shape the light texture, then mix the egg yolks in the batter. Combine both, and the batter is ready.
• Stuffing can be made with provolone, Boursin, and some fresh herbs to make the stuffing flavorful.
• For a healthier twist, make baked zucchini flowers. Arrange the zucchini-stuffed flowers on a baking tray. Add olive oil, then bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Drizzle the honey on top of them to get a sweet and creamy taste.
• You can dip sliced zucchini in the leftover batter and make zucchini fritters. They also taste delicious.
• Grandma sometimes stuffed the flowers with minced meat and seasonings.
• These fried blossoms pair well with palomino sauce.

Expert Tips

• Courgette flowers are delicate, so handle them softly. Look inside for insects and remove any. Clean, rinse, and pat dry on a paper towel. Remove the stamen from the inside. Some Italians don’t consider removing them, but they have digestive problems, so it is better to take them off!
• If the stuffing is correct, then fried zucchini flowers are heaven-sent. Overstuffing should not be done. Stuff the flower to the point where we can seal properly.

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