Ok, so I really should be revising. I should be memorising cuts of beef and imperial conversions and step by step methods for making genoise and puff pastry but my miniscule attention span is being affected by stuff happening in the garden. Mother Nature is putting on a show and that show needs to be eaten.
Last year, my vegetable patch was limited to three grow bags containing two varieties of tomatoes. This year, I added courgettes to my crop with the specific intention of stuffing the flowers. Courgette flowers are pretty hard to get hold of and they're bloody expensive too. You'd be looking at upwards of £1.50 per flower if you can find them. Given my current state of impoverishment, I should probably be flogging them at some farmer's market to eager cashed-up foodies but I can't bear to let them go. Their petals are just begging to be opened up, to have their stamens removed, and to be stuffed with a lovely soft goats cheese, fried in batter, and then drizzled with honey.
Fingers crossed, new buds will start appearing and we can indulge in another plate of ripeni ai fiori di zucca in a few weeks time.
8 comments:
And that's exactly how I have them at the Salt Yard. Yours look just as mighty fine.
They look delicious. I've never had courgette flowers - are the courgettes easy to grow?
Funnily enough, the recipe is from Salt Yard. Their head chef gave a demonstration at Leiths and I was bowled over by the courgette flowers. I had to source a different goats cheese to the Monte Enebro they use because it's unpasteurised and I'm feeding a heavily pregnant lady at the mo!
Lizzie, they are really easy to grow. Probably a bit late to start now for this year, but give it a go next year.
Hi Pete - Aideen here, used to work with your lovely wife. Quick one - I've got a 1st anniversary with my boy coming up in August and want to book somewhere suitably fab. He's a massive foodie (a consumate carnivore!) and into his gutsy red wines too.I'm on the waiting list for Fat Duck (dammit) but would love a recommendation for somewhere equally as impressive to mark the milestone. Hope the exams are going well, loving your blog! A
Hi Pete. It's been a while. Just stumbled upon your blog through your facebook profile. It's absolutely amazing. I never knew you were such a foodie. I should introduce you to my dad who is a Chinese chef at the Dorchester. How's life been off late? Will you be visiting Hong Kong any time soon? Kindest. Ed
Hi Aideen,
Hope the new job is going well but more importantly, I hope you get a cancellation chez Heston. Somewhere equally impressive? Well that's pretty impossible but I can really recommend The Square in Mayfair, or alternatively Hibiscus which I haven't eaten at yet but is somewhere I am desperate to go.
Hope you have a great meal, wherever you choose.
Ed,
Great to hear from you. How is life in HK? Does your Dad work at China Tang? I had a pretty good Peking Duck there a few years ago. As you have probably seen from my blog, I'm fairly obsessed by Peking Duck so it was nice to have a good one in London. No plans on visiting HK again soon, imminent baby arrival putting paid to all travel plans for a while.
Oh, I'm so jealous. I have had courgette flowers stuffed with a minty ricotta filling at a restaurant before and have looked for them during each summer since then. I probably would pay £1.50 a flower and then curse myself for it later.
One day.... when I have a garden....
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