Stuffed Courgette Flowers with Ricotta and Herbs
Stuffed courgette flowers with ricotta and herbs are a true summer delicacy, and a homegrown bonus, bound to wow any dinner guest.
Servings: 4
Calories: 360kcal
Ingredients
- 8-12 small courgettes with flowers attached
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted and crushed
- 200-250 g ricotta
- 2 tbsp basil leaves finely chopped
- ½ lemon zested
- black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt plus extra for sprinkling before serving
- 100 g 00 flour or strong plain flour
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 200 ml sparkling water chilled
- lemon wedges optional to serve
- hot honey optional to serve
Instructions
- Firstly, prepare your courgette flowers. Carefully separate the petals and remove the stamens. Then, using a cotton bud, remove any small bugs, insects, or anything else that might have gotten into the flowers.
- Toast your pine nuts over a medium-high heat in a small dry frying pan, flipping them regularly to ensure they don’t burn. When toasted, crush with a pestle and mortar.
- Add the ricotta to a bowl along with the toasted pine nuts, chopped basil leaves, lemon zest, and the seasoning. Give everything a good mix.
- Taking your courgette flowers, pry apart the petals and gently spoon in some filling. Don’t overfill them. Then twist the petals into a point to seal. You can do this with a piping bag if you prefer.
- Make your batter by adding the flour to a large bowl, then the extra virgin olive oil. Pour in the chilled sparkling water, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth batter.
- In a large non-stick frying pan, add enough oil to cover the bottom by 1cm. Heat until shimmering.
- Take your courgettes and dip them in the batter, shake off the excess, and add 3 or 4 courgettes at a time to the hot oil.
- Fry the courgettes until crisp and golden on one side, and then flip them over and repeat on the other side. Of course, if you have a deep-fat fryer, you can also do them in there.
- Remove them to a plate lined with kitchen paper when done and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Serve alongside lemon wedges and with a drizzle of hot honey if you like.
Nutrition
Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 356mg | Potassium: 1931mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2200IU | Vitamin C: 141mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 5mg