If there are zucchini flowers in front of you, what are you to do? You can,t just leave them there-fragile as a Monarch wing, yellow as a taxi cab, with a lifespan of an afternoon. You need to get frying. What is life without a tender, crisped zucchini flower stuffed with the tiniest piece of mozzarella di bufala and a torn leaf of basil sizzled in olive oil from hilltop trees in one hand and a glass of proseco in the other, the gentle breeze of September, clearing the heat of the late afternoon if you are there, and the blossoms are there and the breeze is waiting.
Make a slurry of flour, fizzy water, a pinch of salt and a beaten egg. It should be the consistency of crepe batter. remove the stemen and stem of the flower. wrap it around a blotted piece of mozzarella and basil, dip in the batter and fry in a half inch of olive oil. Turn when deep golden brown and season as soon as they are done with salt.
We fried flowers, we rolled gnocchi and we braised ribs. we ripped yesterday,s bread into bits and tossed it with cut tomatoes, fried garlic and parsley and salted capers, and used it to cover strips of red and yellow peppers before we shoved them in the oven. for dessert, tiramisu.