This Deep‑fried Courgette Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta recipe is an elegant, garden-to-table antipasti from Gino’s Hidden Italy collection. Gino advises grabbing the courgette flowers as soon as you see them – “they don’t last long” – and filling them gently so they stay intact during frying, resulting in a crispy, creamy bite that’s pure summer magic.
Ingredients (Serves 11)
- 12 courgette flowers
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 25 g Grana Padano cheese
- Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon, finely grated
- About 1 litre sunflower oil for deep-frying
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
For the batter:
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 × 7 g sachet fast‑action yeast
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 500 ml Italian lager beer
Instructions for Deep-fried Courgette Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta
- Make the batter by combining flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well and whisk in egg yolk and beer gradually until smooth. Cover with cling film and rest at room temperature for 1½ hours.
- Carefully remove and discard the stamens from each courgette flower, gently opening just enough to stuff.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, Grana Padano, and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper. Gently stuff each flower with about 1 tablespoon of filling, twisting petals to seal.
- Heat oil to 180 °C in a deep fryer or heavy-based pan. Dip each stuffed flower in batter, remove excess, and fry in batches (two at a time) for 2–3 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
Enjoy Gino D’Acampo’s Deep‑fried Courgette Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta – delicate, golden morsels that bring garden freshness to your table.