Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

It’s summer and my farmers market is in full swing. Tables are piled high with heirloom tomatoes, green beans, corn, peppers and of course, zucchini. We’re growing zucchini in our yard too but don’t have enough blossoms yet to stuff. I found these beauties at the market and decided to try something different. Last week I stuffed them with ricotta, dragged them through a batter and deep fried. This time I turned to a recipe that I saw on the L’Italo-Americano website. It was contributed by Letitia Mattiaci owner of All Madonna del Piatto Cooking School and Agriturismo. In her version the blossoms were baked rather than fried which I’ve done before but I’ve never used potato as a filling. We loved the finished product and I’ll definitely make these again.

 

 

I’m sharing the recipe with a few additions. I added some ricotta to the potato mixture and drizzled the stuffed blossoms with olive oil (didn’t use butter) and sprinkled some bread crumbs and parmesan over top. I baked mine in a ceramic dish for about 20-25 minutes.

• 16 male zucchini flowers
• 300 g (approximately 2medium) potatoes, boiled
• 60 g (2 oz) grated Pecorino or Parmigiano
• 60 g (2 oz) diced prosciutto or cured pancetta
• Butter and extra-virgin olive oil to finish

 

• Trim the stems to about 5 cm (2 inches). Remove the green spikes (called sepals) around the buds and shake out any bugs that may be hiding inside. I don’t mind the slightly bitter taste of the stamens so I don’t remove them, but you may wish to.
• If you need to wash them, dip them gently in room temperature water and let them dry naturally, or spray them with a garden spray bottle. Note that if they are not fresh or they have been refrigerated, they will fall apart. Please handle with care to avoid damaging the petals. Rice the boiled potatoes while still warm, add the grated cheese and prosciutto, season with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of olive oil.
• Fill 3/4 of each flower with the potato mixture and place the flowers at least 1 cm (1/4 inch) apart on an oven pan lined with oiled parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and place a small slice of cold butter over each flower.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 200 C (400 F) for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.