It’s early in the morning and the courgette plants look beautiful with their big yellow orange flowers fully open, they look so inviting to the bees, but also … to me: mi viene l’acquolina in bocca pensando ai fiori di zucca fritti (my mouth waters just thinking about fried pumpkin flowers). I don’t know why we call them fiori zucca (pumpkin flowers) because they are actually fiori di zucchina (courgette flowers), and pumpkin flowers are in fact much smaller. Boh!

Photo: James Austin (CC)

Here’s the secret for cooking yourself some light and crispy fiori di zucca fritti, a perfect appetizer for a summer meal, cheap, and easy to prepare.

Preparazione (Preparation):

Immerse the flowers in cold water and wash them well. Drain them, lay them on a tea towel and gently pat them dry. Cut the stalk at the base of the flower, carefully widen the petals and with your fingers remove the pistils at their base, being careful not to break the flowers.

Make the batter by sifting the flour into a wide mixing bowl and adding the water a little at the time, using a whisk to mix it in and avoid the formation of lumps. Once all the water has been added and the batter is smooth and runny, mix the salt in.

Pour some oil in a wide frying pan and heat it up. In the meantime put a few flowers in the batter, coating them evenly, and being careful not to break them as they are very delicate. When the oil is hot, gently put one flower at a time into the frying pan, and leave them to fry for a few seconds until they are a nice golden colour before turning them over to cook the other side. When they are ready remove the flowers from the oil and lay them on a tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Serve i fiori di zucca fritti warm, with a glass of chilled dry white wine, such as Prosecco or Vermentino.

Buon Appetito!