Back when I first decided I wanted to grow my own vegetables, I wanted zucchinis. Lots and lots of them. I adore zucchinis – raw, fried, in sauces, grilled, in cakes, as ‘spaghetti’, you name it. Last summer I planted three zucchini seedlings which took off but then sadly succumbed to powdery mildew. This summer I planted three zucchini seeds, which have resulted in three luxurious plants (perhaps too luxurious, given the size on my garden). These plants are doing well, and have started producing flowers – but no fruit. Research revealed that zucchinis produce both male and female flowers, and often need a hand in pollinating. The problem is that my plants are currently only producing male flowers. I’m hoping that female flowers will eventuate later, and with them, delicious little zucchinis (even if I have to hand-pollinate them myself).
In the meantime, since the male flowers serve no current reproductive purpose, I’ve decided to pick them, stuff them, fry them and eat them – and it turns out that fresh zucchini flowers are pretty delicious.
Today I made lunch mainly using garden goodies:
Tomato salad – tomatoes and basil from the garden, with a bit of minced garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Zucchini flowers – removed stamen, stuffed with finely-chopped Swiss cheese, grated parmesan, crushed pine nuts, salt and pepper. Lightly battered in a mixture of flour and mineral water and fried in a standard frying pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil – not deep-fried, as per most recipes.
For the stuffing I used what I already had in the house, but here are some other ideas: olive, anchovy and ricotta 1 and 2; ricotta, parmesan, chives and spices; goat curd, chives, semolina; and plenty more here.
