Friday, August 08, 2008

Deep Fried Courgette Flowers

 

We have been on holiday in Cornwall. Well, what passes for a holiday. There is only so much rain one family can withstand. When we went for a walk, Freddie decided to wear a wet suit. We marched up the lane in single file unable to see through the damp wall of sea mist to the person in front. We went on a guided kayaking trip up the River Fowey on a rare sunny day. After two hours on the river, the sky turned black and we found ourselves in the middle of a violent lightning storm. I couldn't see the kayaks in front of us and the suncream that I had optimistically applied to our faces began to run down, stinging our eyes so that we were forced to close our eyes and paddle on blind down the river. An hour later the back-up motor boat found us lost up a creek and towed us home.
So I suppose the few highlights of this year's summer break stand out more sharply. We found rock samphire and marsh samphire which we ate with locally caught mackerel fillets. And the farm where we buy our vegetables gave us courgette flowers which were a first for Freddie and Alex.
I made a light batter with self-raising flour and ice-cold soda water and stuffed the courgette flowers with a little goats cheese and tomato paste, dipped them in the batter which is the consistency of single cream and deep fried them for couple of minutes in some vegetable oil. Alex scored them 9 out of 10 and Freddie gave them a seven. And in a week of relentless damp, eating courgette flowers appears to be a rare highlight.
How do you like to eat your courgette flowers?

We have returned to find more vegetable faces in the inbox and will be announcing a winner in a weeks time. But we need more faces...the more the merrier. And lets face it with the summer we are all having, we all need something to do on a rainy day.
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15 comments:

  1. Welcome home Charlotte. I just love stuffed courgette flowers.

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  2. Love zucchini flowers.

    My favourite come from cafe sopra stuffed with mixed cheese (ricotta, parmigiano, and perhaps taleggio...) in a light tempura like batter.

    decadent. divine. delicious.

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  3. Anonymous1:12 PM

    i don't tend to stuff them to be honest - just batter as you did and fry...
    i love them if you get a little tiny courgette still attached...

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  4. Anonymous1:52 PM

    Hi Charlotte
    I read your entry about your visit to Fowey with Freddie. I am a reporter on the Cornish Guardian for the Fowey and Lostwithiel patch. I would love to do an article about your book and visit to Fowey and trying deep-fried courgette flowers!
    Please give me a call, I would love to hear from you.
    Melanie
    01726 66944 or 07793597634.

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  5. Hey Charlotte, Freddie & Alex I like my zucchini flowers made with a recipe I learned from Aglaia Kremezi at her cooking school in Greece...very similar to yours

    http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com/2007/02/fried-zucchini-blossoms-with-feta-mint.html

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  6. I like to chop them up finely and add them to scrambled egg as it cooks - serve on toast with chopped chives.

    A great weekend breakfast!

    Celia

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  7. Those look so good! We finally got our photo to you--just in time for *our* vacation!

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  8. Funny you should mention this -- I just posted about them on my blog today:
    http://klosekraft.typepad.com/klosekraft/2008/08/the-cobblers-child-flower-power.html

    Very simple filling, very lightly cooked

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  9. Anonymous4:58 PM

    Klosekraft
    Thanks for the link. The blog looks great. We will save this recipe for the NEXT time we get the chance to eat courgette flowers. Thank you!
    Nowheymamma
    Thanks for the face you sent - much appreciated entry!
    Celia I may make a raid on yuour vegetable patch - in the dead of night, lopping off the courgette flowers. Do you think the assistant gardeners would see me off the premises?

    Bellini Vallini - thank you again for the link. I really love the idea of the mint. The freshness of the taste would work brilliantly.
    Will try it out when I can!

    Melanie Jago - Thanks. I have told Ed at the publishers who coordinates interviews. I would love to help - he can supply pictures etc to make it really nice for you. Most of the images in the book were taken in your bit of Cornwall.

    Richard - IN markets in Rome I have seen trays of them with the little flowers attached - beautiful.
    Where in London can I buy them though?

    Grocer - Do you ever get to sell courgette flowers in Sydney or are they a rarity?




    Pat - Thanks. I love cornwall and always go back there each year but this year the wet was a little extreme!! Courgette flowers were as I said the top highlight!

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  10. Sorry to hear about so much rain on your trip Charlotte.

    Your courgette flowers are lovely and so colorful! I can't taste them but I score them a visual 10.

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  11. That's a good idea! I haven't had these before.

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  12. I've never had courgette flowers but I saw them on a tapas menu stuffed with goats cheese, deep fried and drizzled with honey. Dribble.

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  13. I had the most incredible stuffed courgette flowers at a lovely one starred place in Marseille - Une Table, au Sud. The were filled with anchovies and beautiful goats cheese.

    Then we went for the most epic seafood meal ever. 14 courses, 5 hours - pure heaven. You can read about it here http://pleasure-eater.blogspot.com/

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  14. That's a good idea! I haven't had these before. But It's look really delicious. Thanks for this great and much needed explanation.
    I’ve just learned of through your blog.

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  15. somehow it looks like sushi.

    Love from international flower delivery :)

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