How to cook zucchini flowers?

Often on the menu in Italy and very popular in the Nice region, zucchini flowers are still rare on our plates. What if you tried preparing them for a change?

Very pretty with their orange-yellow color, zucchini flowers don’t just decorate plates. They can be eaten and even devoured because they are so delicious! Here are some tips for enjoying them as soon as they appear.

Choosing and preparing zucchini flowers

If you grow your own zucchini, you probably enjoy watching these vegetables grow and discovering, nestled in the broad leaves, the delicate zucchini flowers.

Did you know that zucchini flowers can be either male or female?

Male flowers are just flowers, and that’s not bad.
As for the females, they are the ones who give the fruitand therefore the zucchini that we all know very well.

Both types of flowers are eaten. They are frequently found in Italian cuisine, in the form of zucchini flower fritters or even stuffed.

Prefer flowers to the well-supported color. They must be smooth and above all very dry. If they start to feel damp, they are wilting.
The petals are very fragile, so zucchini flowers can only be kept for 48 hours in the vegetable drawer. So enjoy them quickly!

How and when to harvest zucchini flowers?

Be careful to preserve your vegetable harvest! If you want to eat zucchini this summer, don’t harvest all the flowers of the same sex. For more vegetables to enjoy, pick mainly the male flowersmaking sure to leave a few to pollinate the female flowers, which will give life to the zucchini.

Moreover, speaking of pollination, it is better to pick the flowers in the late afternoon or in the evening to leave them as available as possible to pollinators of all kinds.

Zucchini Flower Recipe Ideas

In donuts, fried, sweet or savory, choose your zucchini flower recipe to impress your guests!

Technique for preparing zucchini flowers

If you have chosen female zucchini flowers, in other words those with a mini-zucchini on top, start by gently rubbing the fruit with a clean cloth. Cut the stalk off the zucchini and remove the flower from its pistil.
This is the phase that is a little tricky. You will need to carefully open the petals to reach and remove this little yellow ball which has a bitter taste.

Remove the stamens from the male flowers.

Rinse under a thin stream of water if necessary, dry well, and there you have it, your zucchini flowers are ready to cook!

Fried Zucchini Flowers @Pixel-Shot

Zucchini flower fritters, a classic

Prepare a Donuts Spread made from flour, milk, egg, baking powder and a little olive oil. Zucchini flower fritters are commonly eaten savory, but they are also delicious in sweet version. All you have to do is dip the flowers in the batter and fry them until they turn golden brown.

For a more airy result, try the zucchini flower tempura ! For the dough, mix flour, egg and very cold sparkling water.

Other recipes with zucchini flower

Zucchini flowers can be stuffed with whatever you like: vegetables simmered in tomato sauce, melted cheese or fresh cheese, tuna, salmon, etc.

Stuffed and baked zucchini flowers – © Lunov Mykola

HAS Nicewe love them zucchini flowers stuffed with minced meattomato sauce, zucchini and fresh herbs.

Make a melting stuffing with gorgonzolapine nuts, garlic and basil. Also try a stuffing with zucchini cut into small cubes, goat cheese and fresh mint. Or a stuffing made with cooked rice, chorizo ​​or small cubes of smoked tofu and herbs from Provence.

Fill the zucchini flowers using a spoon, avoiding putting too much : fragile flowers may tear. Cook steamed or baked.

Easy to incorporate, zucchini flowers are very good simply sautéed in a pan in a little oil and a clove of chopped garlic to garnish pastaand risotto very creamy or even a omelette.

Finally, they can simply be placed on top of a quiche with vegetables or a salty Tart.

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