In her book The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome, food and travel writer Maria Pasquale shares recipes from restaurants and fellow foodies around Rome’s capital city. This one, for crispy Fried Zucchini Flowers, came from Roman food tour guide Toni Brancatisano. “These are one of my favourite things to eat in Rome and when they are on the menu, they always end up on my plate,” writes Pasquale. “My local friggitoria sells them, and they are a popular antipasto at both the pizzeria and trattoria, and even at restaurants. This version from Toni is deliciously light and crisp. Zucchini flowers are stuffed with mozzarella and some anchovy, then lightly battered and fried. I rarely ate anchovies until I moved to Rome, but now I love them. Having said that, the anchovy in this recipe does nothing more than give it a salty centre. Feel free to leave it out for a vegetarian option; Toni also adds a basil leaf to her stuffing, which is totally optional.”
Fried Zucchini Flowers
Ingredients
- 12 zucchini flowers
- 4½ oz (125 g) mozzarella
- 6 anchovy fillets in olive oil optional
- 12 small basil leaves optional
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1¾ oz (50 g) cornstarch
- 1 oz (25 g) baking powder
- 1 cup ice-cold sparkling water
- vegetable oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Remove the stamens from the centre of the zucchini flowers, leaving the flowers intact and being careful not to tear the petals.
- Cut the mozzarella into 1¼ in (3 cm) long strips. If using anchovies, cut each in half. Place one piece of mozzarella, one piece of anchovy and one basil leaf, if using, inside each flower, closing the end by gently twisting the petals together.
- Prepare the batter by mixing the flour, cornflour, baking powder and sparkling water in a bowl and whisking until smooth and lump-free.
- Fill a heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat until very hot – about 400°F (200°C) on a cooking thermometer. Dip the stuffed flowers in the batter, shake off the excess, then drop them one or two at a time into the hot oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the batter is golden and crunchy, moving them around regularly with a slotted spoon to ensure an even colour.
- Drain on paper towel and serve hot.
More recipes from Maria Pasquale
Fried Zucchini
In her book The Eternal City, Maria Pasquale shares her mother's recipe for a traditional Roman snack: beer-battered and deep-fried zucchini sticks.
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Supplì (Roman Rice Balls)
Maria Pasquale's recipe for a classic Roman snack: fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese.
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