“Say it with flowers. Even the cactus has one. “
⏱ 4 MINUTES READING

A BIT OF HISTORY
The jardin potager is a hybrid between a vegetable garden and a garden where vegetables, fruit trees, herbs and aromatic flowers are grown. It is an intuition of the French, who strategically place it near the kitchen, and it is usually designed with a taxonomic logic where each bud or leaf is studied and placed according to precise aesthetic canons.

Even the Italians love this bucolic harmony, and the Venetians describe the beauties of this place by calling it brolo.

The British and Japanese, on the other hand, also appreciate the creative disorder, where apparently chaotic areas actually tell different microclimates that allow the cultivation of flowers and aromatic herbs, from April to October, delighting the eyes and palate.

THROW FLOWER NOT BOMBS
Giacomo Castelvetro, humanist, academic and wandering travel writer, in 1614 described in his “Brief account of all the roots, all the herbs and all the flowers that are eaten raw or cooked in Italy” (preserved at Trinity College of Cambridge) the “Mischianza”: a salad made with over 20 types of herbs, flowers and salads, a dish that is an expression of Renaissance gastronomy.

In the third millennium we are no less: the multi-starred chef Enrico Crippa in 2016 created “21-31-41” which he defined “a simple salad, it is nothing cooked - which for a cook may seem something strange - but it is truly an emotion “.

The name indicates the number of buds, flowers and leaves that make it up at different times of the year and which, in the month of May, can exceed 100 different units.

TASTE, DON’T BROWSE
For avoid misunderstanding, it is not possible to sauté the wedding bouquet or the floral gift received on Valentine’s Day as these are flowers treated with pesticides. It is a good idea to read the label: “edible” is the magic word. 

Another important advice: if you decide to collect them during your walks immersed in nature, never do it at the edges of busy roads or at the edges of fields treated with fertilizers and pesticides. Also pay attention to the different varieties.

The plant may be edible in one but not in the other: some parts are very toxic. Acacia, honeysuckle and wisteria have an edible flower while the other parts of the plant are toxic.

The flowers of the aubergine and tomato, unlike the fruit, if put into the salad would make you spend a bad time. Paraphrasing a famous aphorism that tells about mushrooms, “all flowers are edible, some only once”.

ZUCCHINI FLOWERS
The zucchini flower is one of the few flowers to be consumed almost entirely. Of this plant there are female and male flowers, easy to recognize: the male ones, in fact, are supported by a long peduncle while the female ones are attached to the fruit, at the top of the zucchini. June and July are the harvest months, preferably to be done early in the morning, in the coolest hours of the day when the flowers are still open.

During cleaning, to be carried out with a damp cloth in order not to damage the petals, the central part of the flower and the peduncle, which have an unpleasant taste, must be removed.

APRONS ON!
It’s easy to say batter to fry the flowers! From simple flour to that which involves yeast in the dough and subsequent rest, there are many variations. Simplifying: with eggs and milk, for more complex and full-bodied doughs, and with sparkling and very cold liquid (water and beer) for more delicate tempuras.

There are also more ethnic variants, scented with chopped aromatic herbs and spicy blends, or gluten-free batters, replacing the 00 flour with that of rice.

Anna Maria Pellegrino
Chef e Foodblogger

APULAN ZUCCHN FLOWER 
The colours of this filling reminds those of the Salento landscapes and the scent, too. If you are not on vacation, you can always dip your feet in a blue basin full of water and sip a cool rosé wine.

course: starter, vegetarian
serves: 4 people
level: simple
Preparation time: 40 minutes + rest
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
12 zucchini flowers
200 g Buffalo Ricotta by Borgoluce
100 g Pesto dei Contadini
black pepper, freshly ground
200 g of 00 flour
very cold sparkling mineral water
3/4 ice cubes
oil for frying: grape seed, corn, peanut
METHOD
Sift the ricotta. In a bowl add it to the vegetable pesto, season with salt (if necessary), mix well and transfer to a piping bag.

Clean the zucchini flowers from the stem and sepals, open them gently and remove the pistil. Wipe them gently with a damp cloth and blot them with absorbent paper. Open them gently, stuff them with the mixture and close them at the tip, turning them gently as if it were a candy.

Sieve the flour, add slowly the water necessary to obtain a fluid but not liquid dough. Let it rest for 10 ‘and then add the ice cubes. Meanwhile, bring the oil needed for cooking to 180 °C, using a high-sided saucepan.

Dip the flowers in the batter and dip them in boiling oil, fry them 2/3 minutes on each side, drain them, transfer them to absorbent paper and proceed to the end of the ingredients. Only fry 2 or 3 flowers at a time and keep them warm.Salt them only when ready to serve with a homemade ketchup sauce made with tomato sauce, white wine vinegar and brown sugar.

EMILIA ROMAGNA STYLE ZUCCHINI FLOWER
For once, let’s leave tortellini and piadine aside and let ourselves be amazed by the valleys and their gastronomy. Let’s also leave Lambrusco wine aside and complete our gastronomic journey with a good beer, with just a little hints of hops.

course: starter
serves: 4 people
level: simple
Preparation time: 40 minutes + rest
cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
12 zucchini flowers
150 g Ricotta Piccola Qualità Oro
150 g Anguilla marinata di Comacchio
Timut black pepper
salt in flakes
200 g of 00 flours
1 egg
very cold beer: ipa, weizen or blanche
oil for frying: grape seed, corn, peanut
mayonnaise
1 organic lemon, in zests
METHOD
Beat the egg, add the sifted flour and the beer necessary to obtain a fluid but not liquid mixture. Let it rest in the fridge for about 30‘.In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the lemon zest and the freshly ground Timut pepper. Cover with cling film and let it rest in the fridge until serving time.

Sieve the ricotta. Drain the eel from the marinade, remove the central bone and any small pieces of skin and chop finely. In a bowl combine and mix the ingredients and perfume with pepper.

Clean the zucchini flowers from the stem and sepals, open them gently and remove the pistil. Wipe them with a damp cloth and blot them with absorbent paper. Open them gently, stuff them with the mixture and close them at the tip, turning them gently as if it were a candy.
Meanwhile, bring the oil needed for cooking to 180 °C, using a high-sided saucepan.

Dip the flowers in the batter and then in boiling oil, fry them 2/3 minutes on each side, drain them, transfer them to absorbent paper and proceed to the end of the ingredients. Only fry 2 or 3 flowers at a time and keep them warm. Salt the flowers only when you bring them to the table with mayonnaise.

SICILAN ZUCCHINI FLOWER
Do you like Sicilian cannoli? I love them so, instead of putting the candied pumpkin in the filling, I thought about stuffing the zucchini flowers. The chocolate sauce, as if they were Spanish churros, will be the right end to a sweet and elegant break.

COURSE: dessert
SERVES: 4 people
LEVEL: simple
PreparaTION TIME: 40 minutes + rest
CoOKING TIME: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
12 zucchini flowers
200 g Fior di Ricotta di Pecora
50 g Marmellata di Mandarino Tardivo
50 g di Pesto al Pistacchio
3 to 5 spray of Quintessenza di Mandarino
80 g of 00 flowers
1 egg
150 ml cold milk
80 ml of light beer
40 g of zephyr cane sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 vanilla bean, the seeds
200 g dark chocolate chips
oil for frying: grape seed, corn, peanut
a knob of butter
two tablespoons of cream
icing sugar for sprinkling
METHOD
Mix the flour, sugar, salt and egg and add the milk slowly. Then add the beer and the seeds of the vanilla, cover and let it rest in the fridge for an hour or two.Sift the ricotta, sprinkle the tangerin essence 3 to 5 times. In a bowl, mix the pistachio pesto with the tangerin jam, add the ricotta and transfer to a piping bag.

Clean the zucchini flowers from the stem and sepals, open them gently and remove the pistil, wipe them with a damp cloth and blot them with absorbent paper. Gently stuff them with the mixture and close them at the tip, turning them like a candy.

Pour the chocolate chips into a bowl, place it on the turntable and set the microwave oven to 500W for 2 ‘max 3’.

Mix well, add the cream and butter to polish the sauce and set aside at room temperature. Meanwhile, bring the oil to 180 °C in a high-sided saucepan.

Dip the flowers in the batter and fry them 1 minute on each side, drain and transfer to absorbent paper. Fry only 2/3 flowers at a time and keep them warm. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce.