Fried Zucchini Flowers

Fiori di zucchine fritti

The flowers come from aunt Alice's veggie garden in Teven, Veneto. They need to be picked in the morning, as soon as they open, and cooked on the Same day.

Clean the flowers: never wash with water, just remove the sepals, and then open each flower and remove the style and stigma (and any insect that may be living inside!). I like to leave the stems, so that the flowers can be lifted in and out of the frying pan easily.

Make a batter with one free range egg, 1 tbsp of flour and a little beer. You can add a pinch of salt, but it is not necessary. I prefer to sprinkle salt on the flowers once they are fried.

Dip the flowers in the batter (holding them by the stem) and then fry in plenty of vegetable oil until golden. Sprinkle with salt and eat immediately.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Zucchini Flower

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