More zucchini flowers!

The grower of these stunning zucchini flowers also supplies The Buffalo Club in Brisbane.

These incredibly fresh zucchini flowers were a lovely surprise from Jerome at Sourced Grocer. He sent them home with Dr H to cheer me up, as I was recovering from a not-so-nice dental procedure - and it worked. Certainly took my mind off the whole experience! They were a joy to look at and I was very touched. Thanks Jerome!!

I think these are the best and freshest zucchini flowers I've ever seen in a shop. They were a pale 'spotted' variety that I don't think I have seen for sale, with the flowers attached. The flower is very large compared to the size of the zucchini, which I liked very much as the flower can take more filling and the zucchini is so young that it isn't even necessary to slice it lengthways before you batter and fry.

We stuffed them with a mix of ricotta, mint, parsley, parmesan, chili, garlic. I hope the grower has plenty more to supply as I hope to be able to buy more in the future. A lovely treat and absolutely delicious.

Zucchini flower pizza...

Just out of the oven - ready to eat, straight off the hot stone.

Finished pizza, ready to be placed onto the hot stone and cooked in the oven.

Female zucchini flowers, sliced in half with a little of the baby zucchini trimmed and left attached [or you could cut them off, grate them and place on the pizza].

A recent trip to the market meant we had a bunch of zucchini flowers in the fridge, and as I just happened to have some left over fresh yeast we decided that zucchini flower pizza was the perfect choice for a lazy Sunday night dinner.

Of course, you can adapt this recipe and add any combination of topping and cheese that you like. My favourites include: mushrooms, kalamata olives, spinach, zucchini flowers, potato, blue cheese, fresh buffalo mozzarella and artichokes. There are an infinite number of choices really, so use your imagination!

Most often I make 'pizza bianche' [white base pizza] which, as the name suggests, means that tomato sauce is not used on the base. For fans of the tomatoey pizza, it's much better than you may think. Instead of sauce I rub olive oil over the base. My favourite white base pizza is fungi porcini with asiago cheese. The absence of the tomato sauce means the star ingredients really get to be the feature. Give it a try.

Pizza dough: makes 2 large pizzas [from 'Two Greedy Italians' by Antonio Carluccio & Gennaro Contaldi]

500g strong plain flour [plus extra for dusting]
10g salt
10g fresh yeast
325ml lukewarm water
semolina

1. Place your terracotta tile or pizza stone into the cold oven and preheat the oven to 250 C.

2. Put flour and salt in a large bowl - make a well.

3. Crumble the yeast into a small bowl/cup and add a little of the lukewarm water. Stir until dissolved and mix dissolved yeast into the remaining lukewarm water.

4. Pour the yeast and water into the flour and stir, using a fork, gradually incorporating the flour until you have a dough [add a little more flour if you find the dough seems too sticky].

5. Shape the dough into a ball and leave to rest on the bench, covered with a damp cloth, for 5 minutes.

6. Knead the dough for 8 - 10 minutes, until it has a smooth, velvety soft texture.

7. Cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. Knead each piece for a couple of minutes and shape into balls.

8. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise, for 30 minutes [now is a good time to prepare the toppings, if you haven't done so already].

Note: Using a pizza stone or tile [I use an unglazed terracotta floor tile] helps to cook the dough and the porous surface creates a crispier crust.


To form the dough:

1. Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean work bench and press the dough out, using your finger tips, into a circular shape. Gently pulling and stretching, once the dough is flattened out, is ok as well.

I also like to pick up the dough and turn it around during this stage and let gravity do some of the work. I also like to rest the dough over the back of my knuckles and move the dough around in a circular motion, letting it drape and stretch a little. Takes a little practice but it does the job and there's less chance of the dough tearing.

2. The finished dough should be as thin as a pancake, with a slightly thicker border.

3. Sprinkle a large wooden board, one with a handle if possible, generously with semolina.

4. Transfer the dough onto the board.

5. Place on the toppings - remember, too much topping will make your pizza soggy [see below]. I like to do this quickly so the dough doesn't stick to the board.

6. Take hot tile/pizza stone out of oven [I usually place it on top of the cook top].

7. Lift front of the dough and slightly lift and slide your fingers underneath around edge of pizza to loosen from the board.

8. Hold wooden board, on an angle, over the hot tile/stone and give it a sharp shake [or two] toward the stone. All going well the semolina should roll the dough straight off the board and onto the stone.

9. Place into the oven and cook for 7 minutes [or 9 minutes if you want a crispier base]

10. Remove from oven, drizzle with olive oil and eat!


Topping:

neopolitana sauce or tinned plum tomatoes, crushed
extra virgin olive oil
parmesan, freshly grated
mozzarella, sliced thickly/roughly chopped
basil leaves or dried oregano [optional]
zucchini flowers [cleaned and sliced in half lengthways]

1. Spread a small amount of the sauce or crushed tomatoes evenly over the base - not too much or the pizza will be soggy.

2. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Sprinkle with Parmesan, basil leaves or oregano and grated zucchini, if using.

4. Place on pieces of mozzarella and zucchini flowers.

Fried zucchini flowers...

Stuffed and ready to dip into the batter.

Zucchini flowers are plentiful in Brisbane at the moment and I've been making the most of it: zucchini flower pizzas; salads; baked; with pasta or stuffed and fried in crunchy batter [one of my favourites].

So here's a recipe for stuffed and fried zucchini flowers. If you've never made them be assured that it's not difficult. At worst it's a little fiddly to prepare and stuff the flowers but the result is well worth the effort!

Fried zucchini flowers

Prepare the zucchini flowers: [I usually make 6 for 2 people, as a meal]

1. Select just-picked female flowers [they have a very small zucchini attached]. The flower should not look dried out and shrivelled. The ends of the petals should be easy to open and not stuck together. The zucchini should be glossy and shiny and be vibrant green in colour.

Of course, the best option is to grow your own and pick them just before you need them.

2. Check the flowers for dirt and insects. Wash gently if needed.

3. Trim the ends of the zucchini and slice it vertically, being careful not to go too close to the flower.

4. To remove the stamen, I find it easiest to stand the zucchini flower in a small glass. This leaves both hands free to do the fiddly part. Gently open the petals and, using a small pair of scissors snip the stamen at the base. The base of the inside of the flower should be smooth and flat.

Prepare the stuffing:

What you stuff the flower with is only limited by your imagination. Here are some options:

1. Ricotta stuffing -

ricotta: from the deli - not the type sold in a tub at the supermarket [by itself or combine with your favourite cheese eg: blue. Adjust seasonings to suit]
nutmeg
parsley
mint
parmesan
lemon zest
chili [finely chopped]

Mix all ingredients together [I find it best to use a food processor as it gives a nice smooth result and is easier to pipe].

Put mixture into a piping bag or plastic bag and snip the corner off.

Place zucchini flower into the small glass and gently open the petals. insert the nozzle of the piping bag and fill with the cheese mixture. Don't overfill.

Draw the ends of the petals together and gently twist.

Repeat with the other flowers and set aside until you're ready to fry them [this, of course, can be done in advance].


2. Cubes of cheese: the quick and easy option -

Choose anything that melts quickly, for example - gorgonzola, mozzarella, brie, asiago, goat chevre or any soft, fresh cheese. You could also include fresh herbs, anchovies, walnuts, capers, chopped proscuitto or a little fried speck.

This method may be preferred if you're short on time and don't want to bother with a piping bag.


Prepare the batter:

1 3/4 cups self raising flour
1 1/2 cups sparkling white wine or sparkling/soda water
vegetable oil [eg: peanut, rice bran oil - something with a high smoke point]


Mix all ingredients together in an open mixing bowl [this will make it easy to dip the flowers].

Heat the oil to a high temperature [to test: place the end of a wooden spoon in the oil; foamy bubbles should form around the handle if it's hot enough]

Place a couple of stuffed flowers into the batter and coat evenly. Remove one and allow the excess to run off.

Place carefully into the oil using tongs. I only fry two at a time, so as not to lower the oil temperature too much. Turn the flowers over to ensure they brown evenly. Remove when golden brown. Keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining flowers.

Serve garnished with lemon wedges. Mayonnaise makes a good accompaniment [Japanese mayo is my favourite if I can't be bothered to make my own] or even a jammy tomato sauce with loads of flavour.

No matter what you decide, whomever you make these for will love you for it!

Flowery delight....

Four cheese and zucchini flower pizza @ Baffetto, Rome.

Lazy Sunday lunch...

A very hot summers day was spent on our friend's breezy balcony, overlooking the river. We always look forward to Anne's cooking and Geoff is a formidable sommelier and barista.

Today wasn't a disappointment. Young zucchini flowers stuffed with chevre were the entree; followed by a baked ricotta that was accompanied by a salad of cos, lentils, roast pumpkin and herbs. The final course was perfect for the Queensland summer. It was a simple combination of thinly sliced pineapple, that had been marinated in a light sugar syrup made with fresh ginger and star anise, and fresh mango finished with mint. Really delicious!