Today’s dish from the villages is not really a traditional dish from the culture of a single village but a variation of one of the most famous dishes of Italian cuisine worldwide. We are talking about Stuffed and Fried Pumpkin Flowers as recommended by the village of Finale Ligure, Finalborgo. Fried zucchini flowers can be found in many variations along the Italian territory: there is the classic version, which sees the flowers fried in batter; the version filled with a whole anchovy in oil and Provatura (typical Roman); the Tuscan or Umbrian version, which offers a batter with eggs, flour and a drop of water or beer; the Neapolitan version, in which the flowers are cut into strips kneaded, then, with flour, water, brewer’s yeast, egg, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese; the Calabrian version, in which the flowers are pureed in a batter of only water and flour, then fried in olive oil and accompanied by local salami and sausage practically a dish prepared and revisited all over the boot, but the version we are going to prepare today, and which looks particularly tasty, comes from Liguria and in particular from Finale Ligure, where the students of the Migliorini Institute prepare squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, cooked ham and mozzarella. This simple and tasty dish will be ideal for re-energizing you on these hot summer days.
Ingredients
For the batter:
Water
Flour 150g
Yeast
A drop of beer
For the filling:
Squash blossoms 10
Ricotta cheese 400g
Finely chopped cooked ham 200g
Chopped mozzarella 1/2
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste.
Oil for frying
Process
First you need to start by preparing the batter that you will need to let sit for about an hour. Sift the flour with the yeast into a high-sided bowl and start mixing with a whisk adding the water and a little beer being careful not to create lumps, finally add a pinch of salt. Now proceed by washing the squash blossoms very well both outside and inside and dry them with paper towels being careful. To prepare the filling, mix the ricotta cheese with the mozzarella and cooked ham cut into small pieces, a little grated Parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn the mixture well with a fork. Then fill the flowers with the filling and close them tightly at the tip, flour them lightly and dip them in the batter. Now you can fry them in plenty of hot oil. Drain them and wipe them in paper towels to remove excess oil. Finally salt to taste and the dish is ready to serve.
…Enjoy!
