Deep Fried Courgette Flowers Traditional Recipe from Rome

It’s not that easy to find beautiful courgette flowers in Dublin or at least it’s hard for me to find the ones I use to have when I’m in Rome, Italy. But when I spot the right courgette flowers I cannot resist and I’ve to stuff and deep fry them, in the same we do in Rome.

This is such a beautiful and traditional recipe you will become an addict and you will never fail to impress; traditionally in Rome we use to stuff the courgette flowers with the so-called “provatura”, a cheese similar to mozzarella but heavier. It’s not easy to find it so you can use real Italian mozzarella paying attention it’s not too liquid so avoid the buffalo mozzarella or the burrata and stick to the normal mozzarella cheese.

What you need to make your deep fried courgette flowers

Courgette flowers
Mozzarella cheese
Anchovies
Plain flour
Salt
Water
Oil for frying

How to make the deep fried courgette flowers

1. Prepare your batter gradually mixing flour and water in a bowl. Start mixing a tablespoon of flour and a glass and a half of water, stirring with a fork and continue adding water and flour until you get a neither too liquid nor too solid batter.
2. Cut the mozzarella cheese into small cubes and put it to drain. Also drain the courgette flowers, quickly wash them under cold water by gracefully shaking. Gently wipe them with a cotton cloth.
3. Open each courgette flower and carefully stuff with a piece of mozzarella cheese and one anchovy. Seal the the flowers by gently twisting the tops of the petals.
4. Heat the oil in a large high sided pot over a medium heat and. Dip the courgette flowers into the batter to coat completely and once the oil is hot place the coated courgettes, in batches of 4 at a time, into it. Allow to cook the courgette flowers until golden for 3-4 minutes.
5. Using a kitchen Plier, place the cooked courgette flowers on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Serve the crispy courgette flowers immediately with a little bit of salt on top.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Tip for making the best deep fried courgette flowers ever

1. Never use yeast to make your batter: it will kill the real flavour of the flowers;
2. The batter doesn’t have to rest but it has to be used as soon as it’s ready;
3. If you want to make your batter fluffy you can use sparkling water instead of the still one.

Try this amazing recipe and you really will feel like in Rome on a sunny day!

(Pic by Giuseppe Milo)