Stuffed courgette flowers

Fiori di zucca (zucchina) ripieni

Yes you can eat courgette flowers and they're really lovely! Here I present the "fiori di zucca" (improperly named, as they are not pumpkin [zucca] flowers, but courgette [zucchina] flowers) are stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy fillets.

Ingredients for 4 people:

1. 3 courgette flowers

2. 3 small mozzarella balls (cherry tomato size)

3. 3 anchovy fillets in oil

4. oil for frying

5. 80 g of plain flour

6. 200 ml of beer or sparkling water

Method:

1. If any, remove the spiky outer leaves, together with the stem and the inside of each flower. Wash and dry well.

2. Add a mozzarella ball and an anchovy into each flower. Twist to keep the filling inside.

3. Now heat a good amount of frying oil in a pan. Mix flour and beer (or sparkling water) together to get a smooth batter. Note Adjust beer (or sparkling water) quantity according to how thick you want the batter.

4. Roll each flower in the batter and fry until golden brown. This should take about 3-4 mins. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.