Are we in spring or at the cusp of autumn? No, I’m not crazy, this dish seems to recall the warm and enveloping seasonality of the most beautiful months of the year when nature awakens and offers its first fruits, but alas it is late September! So how can I share a recipe where the undisputed protagonists are zucchini flowers, typically spring products? Let’s say that those who know me know that in my recipes I have always respected the seasonality of fruit and vegetables, yet today I find myself collecting zucchini flowers from my balcony pots as if there’s no tomorrow! It is very likely that, with the unusual heat until today, even the plants have become disoriented!!! The fact is that in the morning, as soon as I wake up, my first thought is to see if new flowers have been born and naturally pick them before the birds and pigeons make a feast of them! One evening, therefore, I experimented with a very easy and quick recipe to enjoy them, so if like me you have this fortune of finding them spontaneously in pots, I share with you this idea that I consider a very tasty for an informal aperitif with friends! All you need to do is prepare a sort of mashed potatoes, combine the cheeses and aromatic herbs, and fill your zucchini flowers. Be careful, they seem fried but instead are baked, but they will also be fine for the air fryer, so really light and digestible, and in just under twenty minutes you will bring small treasures with a cheesy heart to the table that will make you lick your lips!
If zucchini flowers are your passion, here are some other proposals to view for your lunches or dinners:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Moderate
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15 stuffed flowers
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients:
- 15 zucchini flowers
- 2 potatoes (small ones or 1 large)
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 oz oz cheese (ragusano or other stringy cheese)
- 2 tablespoons salted ricotta (grated)
- to taste breadcrumbs
- 3 sprigs thyme (or dried chives)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools:
- 1 Pan
- 1 Fork
- 1 Potato masher
- 1 Spoon
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Pastry bag
- 1 Paper towels
- 1 Baking sheet
Steps:
Start by washing the potatoes under running water, then boil them in a pan filled with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or anyway pierce them with the tines of a fork to ensure they are optimally cooked (fig. 1).
Once cooked, turn off the heat and pass the potatoes through a potato masher, and transfer the puree to a bowl (fig. 2). Add the cream cheese, thyme, or other aromatic herbs to taste, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper (fig. 3).
Quickly mix with a spoon and also add the grated salted ricotta and mix well (fig. 4). Separately, wash the zucchini flowers under a gentle stream of running water, blot them with kitchen paper towels, and detach the growths found between the base and the stem (fig. 5).
Gently open each flower, remove the internal pistil by detaching it at the base with your fingers, or if you are not skilled, to avoid breaking them, use food tweezers (fig. 6). Transfer the now lukewarm potato puree into a pastry bag and fill the zucchini flowers three-quarters full (fig. 7).
Place a small cube of ragusano cheese inside each flower (fig. 8), cover it with a little more potato puree, and close the flowers on themselves, sealing them. Then roll them in oil, letting the excess drain (fig. 9).
At this point, roll them in a third bowl where you have placed the breadcrumbs (fig. 10). Grease the bottom of a baking dish with a little oil, arrange the stuffed zucchini flowers side by side, spray the surface with some puffs of oil, and bake in a static oven at 350°F for 15-18 minutes or in an air fryer at 390°F for 7-8 minutes (fig. 11).
Turn off the oven, take out the dish, and let it cool slightly before serving. You can enjoy them either hot or cold.
And voila… your stuffed zucchini flowers with cheese and potato puree are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 Once cool, you can store the stuffed zucchini flowers in the refrigerator in suitable containers for 2-3 days. I do not recommend freezing them.
Tips, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣 Stuffed zucchini flowers can also be prepared in advance and reheated in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
🟣For a non-vegetarian version, try adding some anchovy fillets in oil to the filling, you’ll fall in love with it.
🟣 If like me, your flowers were small and you have leftover potato puree, you can use it to make a mini gateau for your children by buttering the bottom of a single-serving baking dish, distributing the puree evenly, and adding a few chunks of cheese, grated parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 375°F and another 5 minutes of grill. Delicious!
