Who doesn’t love zucchini flowers, raise your hand! And given the season, you can see plenty of them on the fruit and vegetable stands. They are so beautiful and inviting that they lead me to buy them in large quantities! They would be perfect fried in batter, but their lighter version in the oven, often stuffed with ricotta, is equally valid. But when you’re tired of preparing them in the same way, here’s a tasty, quick, and easy idea to make the most of them! This year, I prepared several batches of pesto that you can conveniently freeze and take out of the freezer when needed! It has a truly special and unusual taste, and its creaminess will win you over! Like all types of pesto, this one is quite versatile! In fact, it will be perfect not only for seasoning pasta and accompanying white and red meat dishes, but you can spread it on crostini, bruschetta, and anything else your imagination suggests!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients:
- 4 oz zucchini flowers
- 1.5 oz almonds
- 1.75 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 3.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 anchovies in oil
- 10 leaves basil
- 1 pinch salt
Preparation:
Wash the zucchini flowers without breaking them under a gentle stream of running water, detach the growths found at the base with a small knife or simply with your hands. This step is important to ensure the flowers are ready for preparation.
Gently detach the internal pistils as well.
Until you completely remove them.
Blanch the flowers in unsalted boiling water for 1 minute.
Drain them and transfer to a blender.
Add the basil leaves and the drained anchovies from their oil.
Blend until you get a still rather coarse mixture, then add the almonds.
Adjust the salt, but use a little because the anchovies will add a lot of flavor to your mixture. Add the grated Parmigiano and half of the oil in a stream.
Continue blending intermittently until you obtain a creamy consistency.
Pour the rest of the oil and blend one last time.
Transfer the obtained mixture into a suitable container and serve it with an extra drizzle of oil and some basil leaves.
And voila… your zucchini flower pesto is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFe!
You can store it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for 2-3 days or freeze it for 3 months.
