My generous friend who has space in her garden for zucchini plants and is able to collect their flowers has been lavishing me with kindness once again. She surprised me with a small brown paper bag with some of her zucchini blooms.
Unfortunately, the colder temperatures and rain aren’t friends of these delicate blossoms, and I think that this last gift could be my last.
Zucchini flowers can be prepared in various interesting culinary methods. However, due to their short shelf life, I prefer to cook them the same day I receive them, regardless of my schedule.
Sometimes, the best meals come together quickly with what you have on hand. With a few fresh ingredients and a bit of creativity, you can easily make a delicious dish that’s both satisfying and flavourful.
I therefore select the easiest and quickest option taking the ingredients I have at hand to achieve a satisfactory outcome.
I had pale-skinned zucchini, spring onions, fresh basil, saffron, and a jar of preserved artichokes. Since fresh artichokes aren’t in season right now, the preserved ones in oil added just the right touch, bringing a rich and tangy flavour to the dish and transforming it into something memorable. A little stock and a generous knob of butter rounded everything off, making for a simple yet delicious pasta sauce dressing.
The photos below should explain the cooking method.
Cut zucchini in half (I used 3), then quarters, and toss in hot pan with extra virgin olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes. I like to cook these separately and not overcook them to preserve their unique flavour and their shape. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Slice 3 spring onions and sauté in extra virgin olive oil.
Add the flowers and basil, then sauté briefly. At this stage I also added a bit of saffron that I had been soaking in about 1/2 cup of stock.
I added the drained artichokes (I cut them in halves), warmed them, then added the cooked zucchini.
I finished with a generous lump of butter.
The type of pasta was rigatoni.
This dish tasted and smelled like Spring, brightening our dull Melbourne day. A friend came to dinner that evening and it was her first time for zucchini flowers.
She left very content.
ZUCCHINI FLOWERS, A Simple, Sweet Delight
EGG PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI FLOWERS, ZUCCHINI, PINE NUTS and STRACCIATELLA (egg drop)