Yields: 4 Portions
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 12-13 Blossoms
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs *
- 1 egg
- 1/3 Cup of Ricotta
- 1/4 Cup Pecorino Romano
- Bunch of Fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped
- Cracked black pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive oil for frying
*Fresh breadcrumbs is just day old loaf of bread or sliced bread, crumbled into pieces
Batter:
- 1/2 Cup of Wondra Flour **
- 1/2 Cup of Pecorino Romano
- 2 eggs
- 6 Tablespoons of milk
- Pinch of salt and pepper
**You can get Wondra flour in your regular grocery store, it comes in a blue tube. It’s a finer flour than AP flour, so it gives it a nice crust when they brown up. I also use Wonder flour for my chicken cutlets!
Preparation:
Clean zucchini blossoms carefully, removing the pistol and cutting the stems off so there is a hole at the bottom of the flower, big enough for stuffing. Lay to dry on a paper towel while you make the filling and the batter. (Do not clean until ready to use, they have a very short shelf life)
In a medium sized bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, egg, ricotta, Pecorino, parsley and pepper. Either using a spoon or a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the end cut off) carefully stuff the flowers. You don’t want to over stuff them or they will burst when they’re cooking. Once they’re all filled, with a small spoon (I used an espresso spoon), carefully press the filling inward, so none of it is falling out. Twist the orange flower to close, to ensure all the filling stays inside.
Before you make the batter, drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to thoroughly coat your pan, and heat to medium. While the oil is heating, in a large bowl, mix the flour, eggs, Pecorino, milk, salt and pepper. It should be a little thinner than pancake batter. Once the oil is slightly smoking, using a fork, carefully dredge the zucchini blossom into the batter, and directly into the oil. Cook a few minutes until nice and brown, flip, and cook on the other side (the other side will cook much quicker). While the first batch cooks, line a baking sheet with paper towels. When the flower are done, lay on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Enjoy hot or at room temperature, or honestly, even cold!!
