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ITALIAN RECIPES

Zucchini Blossoms

Zucchini Blossom Risotto with Prosecco

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (300 g) Vialone Nano or other short-grained rice
Simmering vegetable broth (unsalted canned will work if need be; you'll want a quart)
10 zucchini blossoms
1/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
Half a white onion, minced
Olive oil
1 cup sparkling Prosecco (warm)
2 walnut-sized chunks of unsalted butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Wash the blossoms gently, removing the stems and pistils, and pat the yellow petals dry. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot and gently sauté the onion, stirring it with a spoon, until it has begun to turn golden.

Add the rice and turn the burner up to a brisk flame; cook, stirring, until the grains have become translucent -- 3 to 5 minutes. Add half the wine and stiff, then lower the flame and begin adding broth a ladle at a time, stirring gently.
When the rice is almost done, thinly slice the zucchini petals and stir them in too; check seasoning, stir in the butter and the cheese, and turn off the flame.
Let the risotto sit covered for about 30 seconds, then sprinkle the remaining Prosecco over it, Stir again, and it's ready to serve.
Serves 4.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with a Lightly Browned Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

The Zucchini Blossoms
20 zucchini blossoms, stemmed, pistils removed, washed, and gently patted dry
8 ounces (200 g) champignons
A medium carrot
1/3 cup cream
10 asparagus tips
2 shallots
3 slices white bread (U.S. style loaf bread), dipped in milk
2 yolks
Grated Parmigiano
Unsalted butter (3 tablespoons)
Olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Salt & Pepper to taste
The Sauce
6 ounces (weight; 150 g) clarified butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 yolks
A minced mixture of fresh parsley, marjoram and thyme (about a tablespoon in all)

Preparation:

Rub the mushrooms clean (or rinse them if need be), and dice them with the carrot, asparagus tips and shallots, and sauté the mixture in a mixture of olive oil and butter that you've already heated in a pan (if need be add more).
After a few minutes add the cream, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook the mixture over a gentle flame until the vegetables are done and the juices bind it all together.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and work in the moistened bread, yolks, and three tablespoons of Parmigiano, and then let it all cool.
Gather the filling into a pastry bag with a wide nozzle and fill the zucchini blossoms with it, being careful not to tear them.

You will now need to prepare the sauce: Simmer the wine, vinegar, and about 2 tablespoons of water until the mixture is reduced to a volume of about a quarter cup.
Lightly beat the yolks in a bowl, then whisk in the reduced liquid, then put the mixture over a double boiler, and, working over very low heat, slowly whisk melted unsalted butter to the mixture, as if you were making mayonnaise; continue adding butter and whisking until you obtain a thick sauce, which you will want to season with the minced herbs.

Put the stuffed flowers on an elegant, oven-proof dish, drizzle the sauce over them, and broil everything just long enough to brown the sauce.
Serve them hot, with a deft sparkling white wine along the lines of a Franciacorta.
Serves 6.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms - Sciuille co la Pastetta

Ingredients:

The Beginning
12 zucchini blossoms, stemmed, pistils removed, gently washed, and patted dry
The Dough
2 1/2 cups (250 g) flour
3 eggs
Salt & pepper
1/2 ounce (10 g) baker's yeast (the live cakes sold in supermarkets)
Milk
The Filling
3 ounces (75 g) prosciutto, diced
An egg
6 ounces (150 g) provolone, fresh or smoked, finely diced
Salt and a little pepper
Minced basil and parsley
A cup of freshly grated Parmigiano
Cooking:
Olive oil for frying

Preparation:

Dissolve the yeast in a demitasse cup of warm milk.
Make a ring of the flour and drop into it the eggs, dissolved yeast, and a pinch of salt. Knead the mixture, adding enough more milk to obtain a smooth soft dough. Cover it and put it in a warm place to rise.

Combine the ingredients of the filling and season it to taste. Fill the blossoms with the mixture (you may find it easier to do this if you gather the filling into a pastry bag with a wide nozzle, and squeeze it into the flowers).
Roll out the dough, cut it into squares, and wrap the blossoms in them, crimping the edges well to seal them in.

Fry them until they're golden brown in abundant hot oil. Drain them well on absorbent paper, and serve them hot.
A wine? A Falanghina.
Serves 6.

Zucchini Blossoms Certosina-Style

Ingredients:

18 zucchini blossoms
3 cloves garlic, minced
A teaspoon of minced parsley
6 anchovy filets, rinsed, boned and minced
Olive oil or rendered lard (about a quarter cup)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Begin by gently washing the zucchini blossoms, patting them dry, and removing the pistils.
Sauté the minced herbs and anchovies in the oil, in a skillet, and when the garlic has begun to darken (don't let it burn), add the zucchini flowers.
Cook, stirring them gently about, and seasoning them to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. It won't take long for them to be done.
A wine? A light white.
Serves 6.

Buon appetito!

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