“Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul” – Luther Burbank
Sunshine and happiness certainly radiate from our zucchini plot each summer when we begin to pick their golden yellow blooms. The first bouquet is always enjoyed as frittelle (or piteyi in our Calabrese dialect); each successive bunch, however, becomes the basis for edible experimentation.
Squash blossoms also known as zucchini flowers can come from any summer or winter squash variety. There are male and female flowers and while both can be eaten, the female flowers are the ones that have a bulbous end that bears fruit (so you’ll want to stick to picking the male ones for consumption).
The blossoms are delicate and mild in flavour making them extremely versatile in seasonal cuisine. They can be enjoyed raw in salads or cooked up in a myriad of ways. Some of the ways I have prepared the flowers have been stuffed and baked, grilled, scrambled with eggs and as a pizza topping.
In the last few years, I have also been using the flowers to make a brilliant blossom pesto. The sunny sauce is just lovely tossed with pasta or spread over pizza; and its incredibly easy to make. So next time you pluck a few of these flowers from your garden or pick them up at your local farmer’s market consider some alternate uses for them, like this squash blossom pesto. Buon Appetito!
Zucchini Flower Pesto
- 2 cups zucchini flowers
- 2 tbls toasted pine nuts
- A pinch of saffron threads steeped in 2 tbls of boiling water
- 2 tbls of grated Parmigiano
- 2 tbls of Pecorino
- ¼ tsp of pink salt
- ½ cup EVOO
Method:
Toast the pine nuts in a small pan over low heat. Be sure to keep an eye on them so as not to burn. Once toasted, set them aside to cool before using.
Place the saffron threads in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Allow them to steep for a few minutes
Remove the stems and leaves from the zucchini flowers, then gently break them open to remove the stamens. Lightly brush the flowers off with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt.
Place the pine nuts in the food processor to chop them.
Add the remaining ingredients and blend together until you get a creamy consistency.
The pesto can either be place in an airtight container and drizzled with oil to be consumed within a few days or it can be frozen for later use.
**For the strozzapreti dish I sauteed, in a large pan, chopped pancetta in oil then added in the zucchini flower pesto to warm through before adding the cooked pasta.
