Courgette flowers

I propose you a typical Tuscan dish, which has as its base a typically summer ingredient: the courgette flower.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 12 or 16 courgette flowers;
• 100 g of flour;
• an egg;
• white wine;
• olive oil;
• salt and pepper;
• fry oil.

Preparation of Courgette flowers

Put the flour in a bowl, add two tablespoons of olive oil, an egg yolk, salt and pepper. Pour half a glass of white wine and the water needed to make a smooth and not too thick batter.

Let it rest for about an hour and, just before frying the flowers, add the whipped egg white. Clean the flowers by removing the stems, the outer green leaves and the pistils inside.

Put them to dry on a sheet of kitchen paper, add salt and serve immediately. The flowers, before being passed in the batter, can be stuffed with an anchovy fillet or with a spoonful of ricotta mixed with parmesan and egg yolk.

However, it is essential that the flowers are fresh and not withered.