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Deep-fried courgette flowers

For cooks who take seasonality seriously, it should be illegal not to do a courgette flowers recipe when they appear in June.

Find out how to cook courgette flowers so they’re crunchy on the outside, creamy and zingy in the middle, and special all over.

Or, give these courgette fries a go.

For cooks who take seasonality seriously, it should be illegal not to do a courgette flowers recipe when they appear in June.

Find out how to cook courgette flowers so they’re crunchy on the outside, creamy and zingy in the middle, and special all over.

Or, give these courgette fries a go.

Ingredients

1 garlic clove
4 good-sized anchovy fillets
180g ricotta
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
Few sprigs fresh oregano or marjoram, or thyme leaves, finely chopped
6 courgette flowers, with little courgettes attached (from good greengrocers), cleaned, stamens removed
2 litres light oil, for deep-frying (you will be able to re-use this afterwards)

For the batter

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Chop the garlic finely with the anchovies until they become a coarse paste, and combine with the ricotta, lemon zest and herbs in a large bowl. Season with a few good twists of black pepper and very little salt, then mix thoroughly.
Gently open out each courgette flower and fill generously with the ricotta mixture, then wrap the petals around and secure with a twist at the top. The petals don’t need to envelop the filling completely, as the batter will make it hold.
In a large, heavy-based pan, heat the oil over a medium heat until it is really hot (195°C) but not smoking.

Meanwhile, make the batter by whisking the egg white in a large bowl until stiff, then sifting in the flour. Add the lemon juice and the water, whisking just to combine, using as few strokes as possible.
To see if the oil is hot enough, drop in a small piece of bread. It should brown in 20 seconds. Dip each flower in the batter to coat, then fry in the oil, 2 or 3 at a time – don’t crowd the pan. Turn over after 40-60 seconds. When golden, remove with a slotted spoon, sprinkle with sea salt, drain briefly on kitchen paper and serve.

Nutrition: per serving

This batter isn’t like pancake batter that you want to sit and ferment – it’s like tempura batter that you need to make and use right away… then get the fried courgette flowers to the table sharpish!