Zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, perfect with my aperitivo
Italian aperitivo? Oh yes please! And with lots of yummy nibbles too.
Olives, crisps and salted nuts are the easiest accompaniement to a glass of bubbly but why not treat yourself and have something really moreish with it?
Zucchini flowers are so fresh, sweet and delicate and they can be used in a variety of dishes. Just fried as they are or with a filling they make an incredibly tasty nibble great for those summer time aperitives. They can also be added to pies, risottos or pastas.
You need to clean and open them to remove their stem, but be very gentle as they are ever so delicate... they are flowers after all. You can quickly wash them in water or you can just use a wet kitchen towel.
I love the crunchiness of these flowers and I cannot possibly stop eating them! We had them in the garden with a glass of prosecco.. having far too many of those this summer but hey, I am on holiday!
I am taking a little bit of a break and enjoying summer, it is nearly Ferragosto in Italy and, as tradition dictates, we are getting ready for our big fat yearly barbecue. I will probably go for grilled sardines as well this year as I love them so much.
I hope you are all having a great summer time, if you can take a break and chill out.
- Prep Time : 20 minutes
- Cook Time : 3 minutes
- Yield : 4
Ingredients
- zucchini (courgette) flowers - 12
- ricotta - 150 g - just over 1/2 cup
- anchovy fillets - 4
- sparkling water - 200 ml - 7 fluid oz
- plain flour - 3 tbsp
- grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese - 3 tbsp
- oil for frying
- sea salt
Instructions
Mix the flour with the sparkling water to a smooth consistency and put it in the fridge.
Very gently clean and wash the flowers; gently open them and remove their stem.
Chop the anchovy fillets, add the ricotta, the parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
With the help of a teaspoon fill each flower with the ricotta mixture. Gently twist the petals to seal the flowers so they won't open during cooking.
Heat up a pan with plenty of oil.
Dip the flowers into the batter and fry them one at a time for approximately 2 to 3 minutes until nice and golden.
Serve them immediately, nice and hot.
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These are beautiful little appetizers. Love the addition of ricotta. One of our friends is a vegetarian and she makes these quite a bit.
Yes this is one of those classic recipes. I make these every year with my own zucchini flowers.
I would finish all of them in no time. They look so delicious, Alida.
They did not last that long..!
Beautiful recipe Alida. We have had so many garden courgettes this summer, and although I have thought about it, I have not got round to cooking the flowers. I have bookmarked this for another opportunity x
Well done for your homegrown courgettes. They are just so good!
Thank you for your recipe! I will immediately try your filling tomorrow! I usually fill them with canned tuna fish or with ricotta mixed with chives and black pepper.
That sounds delicious too with tuna. Thanks Carla.
This is such a lovely and delicate recipe, I wish I could get zucchini flowers here. Mmmm, aperitivo, I had more than my share during my hol. Then there was the heavenly prosecco, the salumi and formaggi, etc. I’m so glad you’re home for ferragosto, have a fabulous time Alida, enjoy and “salute”!!
Grazie Elisabetta, these are the last flowers of the season so making the most of them!
Delicious, I’ve pinned this for later 😉
You batter recipe must be very thin, more water than flour. I will try that. In the picture it looks like the flowers are barely coated, so you would taste more flower than batter. Sounds intriguing!!
Yes the batter is very light, just enough to coat the flowers a little and not too heavy. You can add more flour if you prefer a thicker consistency.
These sound just perfect to nibble on with a glass of wine in the sun!
A good classic Italian recipe for aperitif!
I have been seeing so many recipes of zucchini flowers that I am thinking to grow this in my garden next year. Stuffing them with ricotta sounds wonderful!
Good idea and homegrown is definitely better!
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