Stuffed courgette flowers

30-60 minutes 4 servings 600 kcal or less accompaniment calcium chefs secrets italian main mains one of five a day professional restaurant restaurant style side dish skills veggie

N/A

Source

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

Method

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.