STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS

Stuffed courgette flowers image

Though a little fiddly, stuffing courgette flowers with ricotta cream filling and serving with tomato dressing looks dazzling

Provided by Barney Desmazery

Time 50m

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

8 courgette flowers , with small courgette attached
sunflower oil , for frying
1 large egg
100g plain flour
pinch bicarbonate of soda
200ml iced water
250g tub ricotta
150g block soft goat's cheese
zest 1 lemon
½ red chilli , finely chopped
small handful mint leaves, chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes , deseeded and finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
small handful mint leaves, finely chopped

Steps:

To make the batter, whisk the egg, flour and bicarb together in a wide bowl. Gradually pour in the iced water, whisking continuously, until you have a smooth batter the consistency of double cream. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat all the filling ingredients together with some seasoning until well mixed. To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a third bowl with some seasoning and set aside.
Gently open up each flower and remove the stamen if there is one. Place spoonfuls of filling inside. Close the flower, twisting the ends of the petals to seal. Heat a deep-fryer to 180C. (If you don't have a deep-fryer, see right.) Working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan, dip the flowers in the batter and fry for 2 mins, then use a slotted spoon to carefully flip them and fry for another 2 mins until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and leave in a warm place while you fry the rest. Sprinkle with a little salt and serve 2 flowers on each plate with a circle of dressing around the outside of the plate.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 434 calories, Fat 30 grams fat, SaturatedFat 13 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 22 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 3 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 19 grams protein, Sodium 1 milligram of sodium