Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Over the last 20 years or so of having my own vegetable garden, I pretty much thought I’d shared all the variations on the theme of having way too many zucchini. But it is the plant that literally cannot stop giving. This year our vegetable garden in Umbria is in over drive. After last year’s disaster of late frost followed by heat wave of deadness, this year’s early sun and tons of rain means that we have a jungle filled with not only early and abundant zucchini, but also baskets full of string beans, salad, and even some WAY early tomatoes.

But let’s get back to zucchini business. Faced with a refrigerator full of perfect zucchini that our neighbor had kindly picked for us while we were gone this week, Friday night I whipped up a batch of zucchini risotto which I realized I’d never shared on the blog before!! (that will be coming soon). Then on Saturday I made Aglio, Olio Pepperoncino e Zucchini. Another non-shared recipe (also coming soon). But the winner of the weekend by far was something that I’d never made before: raw zucchini blossoms stuffed with fresh ricotta and drizzled with arugula pesto.

Although I’ve stuffed many a zucchini blossom in the past, I’ve usually dipped them in batter to be fried to a crisp. This time I decided to take a cue from a dish I’ve been enjoying at Casa Bleve, in Rome, for most of my life: Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms.

To answer your first question before you’ve even asked it: Yes, you can eat the blossoms raw. Chopped into salads they at a burst of color, and you can also use them as my friend Rolando does to top a summer frittata.

But if you’ve got just opened, fresh as can be, zucchini blossoms then I encourage you to follow this recipe. The delicate taste of the blossoms – which hovers somewhere between flower and vegetable – is both earthy and herby at the same time. To increase the herby factor, I  add tons of chives and arugula to the mix. And since the entire taste is so ethereal and delicate, I like the drizzle of pesto on top, to add a bit of zing.

Some comments on the ingredients:

Zucchini Blossoms: if you are lucky enough to have your own vegetable garden, then pick your blossoms early in the morning, when they are wide open (later they will close and start to wilt by the next day). What you want are the male blossoms, attached only to a stem. The female blossoms are attached to the end of the zucchini. If you are buying your blossoms from the market look for perfect bright orange flowers. They should be sold in a bunch, with stems attached. But if you see baby zucchini with perky looking female blossoms you can certainly use them, by trimming them carefully off the end of the zucchini.

Pesto: I’ve provided a recipe for a very delicate Arugula Pesto (with no added cheese). But if you happen to have a bit of other pesto on hand, by all means use that.

Ricotta: Over the course of editing my next book, The Italian Table, I’ve had to struggle through terms I use to refer to ricotta versus what is easily available in the USA. I never knew I had to say ‘Fresh Ricotta’ to refer to what in Italy is just plain ricotta. So while I use farm fresh ricotta in this recipe (made from sheep roaming the hills not far away) I realize you may not be so lucky. No fear. You can easily substitute fresh (and local?) goat cheese.

For more details about my adventures in Umbria and elsewhere see my newest book, Eating My Way Through Italy.  

And if you’re traveling and want to know exactly where to eat, please download my app, Eat Italy. Available on iTunes and Android too!

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