Fried in batter, stuffed, baked in the oven, ingredient for risotto or condiment for pasta, omelettes and savory pies: the color of the sun peeps at the table arm in arm with the flavors of the garden and those of the sea, we are talking of course courgette flowers: unmissable in the summer!
THE courgette flowers, even though they are so called, in reality, these delicate flowers also come from zucchini; the latter are distinguished as feminine, attached to zucchini, and masculine, sold in bunches but both are edible, the former are sweeter, the others more decisive. The flowers of pumpkin they are also larger than those of courgette and have a more robust “robust” corolla: for this reason they can be filled more easily. In the local markets you find them in abundance in the summer season, however you can find them in the supermarkets even in winter, among the spring first fruits.
THE courgette flowers they are the cross and the delight of those who have a vegetable garden but also of those who buy them in abundance because they must be consumed immediately, otherwise they deteriorate easily: you already know how to clean pumpkin flowers or how to cook them? Click here!
Pumpkin flowers are a food rich in properties and nutrients such as carotene, retinol and vitamin A; they have a low caloric content and a high quantity of water (about 90% of the flower) and mineral salts, so they are perfect for those who follow a low calorie diet, they also stimulate diuresis and rebalance the body: they are a real cure!
When the flowers are very fresh, they don't smell but… they are tempting and give light to your dishes! They can be cooked in many ways and there are plenty of recipes that require consumption without cooking. The most traditional way to consume them is fried in batter, even if it is not such a "healthy" preparation, I am a real delight, either simple both stuffed for example Ligurian style or to the Roman!
If you want to feel less guilty and want to avoid frying, you can always choose to stuff the pumpkin flowers and cook them baked, in this case delight with vegetable-based fillings, cheeses or even legumes!
If you cut i pumpkin flowers in strips with scissors, you can use them to prepare a quique, one tatin or one omelette or you can add them raw in a rich salad: they are a light, fanciful and colorful dish or an unusual side dish for a meat or fish dish
For those who love light first courses, pumpkin flowers cook in a pan in a flash and create delicate sauces to flavor spaghetti, linguini or lasagna really tasty summers. Like zucchini, pumpkin flowers are perfect to be combined with seafood flavors, with i shrimp or the bottarga but also with the salmon. But if today you don't really want to be in the kitchen, i raw pumpkin flowers, cleaned and blended together with basil leaves, pine nuts, a generous handful of cheese and extra virgin olive oil, are perfect for preparing a special and unusual variant of traditional Ligurian pesto, to season a pasta dish on the fly. If you prefer, rice instead of pasta, then choose to prepare a delicious and delicate risotto with pumpkin flowers or theorzotto with zucchini and zucchini flowers: easy to prepare and with a delicate flavor, perfect as a first course for your family and friends on any occasion
If you are looking for new ideas and ideas to prepare i courgette flowers, discover with Salt and pepper these 10 recipes super sweet tooth to prepare pumpkin flowers with success. Read this top ten of recipes with pumpkin flowers, try them all! We are certain that you will find your favorite: they are Salt & Pepper recipes all simple to prepare but so tasty!
