How to clean zucchini flowers: tips and tricks to do it quickly

Yo zucchini flowersAlso he said zucchini either zucchiniare the inflorescences of long green zucchinialso often called fiorilli either squirrels on regional variations. They can be found in two types, male my female, depending on whether they grow attached to the stem of the plant (male flowers) or directly on the fruit (female flowers). Both types are edible, although the former are larger and more suitable for filling, and the perfect time to pick them is in early in the morning.

There are so many preparations with zucchini flowers: in mass, fried, stuffedbut he also jumped In the panto raw or used to enrich risottosplates of pasta, buns my salty pies.

Once purchased, fresh zucchini flowers must be consumed immediately (the advice is no later than 24 hours from purchase) to avoid “withering” losing flavor and texture. First of all, however, it is important to clean them correctly and delicately, to keep them intact: the parts that must be removed are the external growthsIllinois Gambo and the pistilslightly bitter flavor and not very pleasant to the palate.

We suggest how to quickly clean zucchini blossoms and give you some tips for choosing them when they are very fresh and preserving them, as well as some tasty ideas to use them in the kitchen.

How to clean zucchini flowers

To clean zucchini blossoms, start by gently removing the lateral growths at the base of each blossom with your hands or a knife. 1. Then cut the stem, being careful not to damage the base.

Gently open the flower and, with your index finger and thumb, remove the pistil that you will find inside. 2.

At this point, rinse the zucchini florets under a light stream of running water and pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towels: be careful not to break them, especially if you intend to cook them stuffed. If the zucchini flowers seem too dirty, you can leave them to soak for 20 minutes. 3.

The zucchini flowers are ready to use: fill them with the filling or cut them into strips 4 to cook them as condiment or garnish.

How to clean zucchini flowers to make them fried

If you are cooking the fried zucchini blossoms in batter, remove the lateral growths and pistil, cutting the inflorescence to one side. Don’t remove the stem entirely, it will come in handy for dipping the zucchini flower into your batter of choice. Once peeled, pass the zucchini flowers under running water and dry them well. Finally, use them according to your recipe.

How to Choose Fresh Zucchini Flowers

To clean and cook the zucchini flowers, it is important to start by choosing the raw material, which must be very fresh you quality. At the time of purchase, therefore, make sure that the zucchini flowers have the following characteristics: upright and straight petalsnot withered or broken; brightly colored corollas and slightly open towards the end; stamen, when present, yellow; In the end, absence of spots or broken and soft parts.

How to use zucchini flowers in the kitchen

Once clean, zucchini flowers can beautify and make many recipes special, thanks to them sweet taste and incredibly delicate. As an appetizer, garnish or to flavor first courses, here are some ideas to use them in the kitchen.

battered and fried

A classic idea for cooking zucchini flowers is to prepare them breaded and fried. In this case, it can be varied with the ingredients of the mass and choose the one you like best. For example, you can make a classic with flour, water and eggs, replace the 00 flour with rice flour or chickpeas with a without gluten or, alternatively, you can opt for a rich beer batter.

Stuffed

If you want to serve them as an appetizer or for a buffet, you can prepare the Stuffed Pumpkin Blossoms. We offer you a light vegetarian version cooked in the oven, stuffed with ricotta and zucchini, but if you like tradition, you cannot miss the courgette flowers alla romana, stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies and fried.

In a pan or in the oven

If you are looking for a quick garnish, you can sauté the zucchini flowers in a pan, seasoning them with a drizzle of oil, a clove of garlic, and whatever spices you like best. Alternatively, you can bake them gratin.

To season first and second courses

If you love the delicate flavor of zucchini flowers, you can also use them as a seasoning. In fact, they are perfect for preparing an excellent pasta with zucchini flowers or enriching a tasty omelette or some delicious meatballs.

storage

Once purchased, we advise you to consume the zucchini flowers in 24 hours, to avoid “withering” losing flavor and texture. However, if at the last moment you find yourself forced to preserve them, you can easily do so by following our tips for preserving zucchini flowers in the best possible way. After cleaning and drying them, place the zucchini blossoms in a glass container filled with water., add a pinch of salt, close the jar and put it away in the fridgewhere can you keep them for 48 hours.

If, on the other hand, you intend to freeze them, we advise you to dry them well, store them freezer well spaced out on a tray lined with baking paper and, once frozen, place them in special freezer bags: they will keep for 2-3 months. You can also freeze pumpkin blossoms already stuffed or even Cookedafter having lightly blanched and allowed to cool.