Fried Zucchini Flowers with Mozzarella

Spring is almost here. Nowadays you can find vegetables and fruits all year around. But somehow I love to keep the old  Italian tradition, to eat vegetables and fruit while in season. So I love spring as it brings many delicious of them and among my favorite vegetables, spring brings the Zucchine.

Venice Rialto Market 

It may look weird to eat a flower, but believe me if you try it you will love it. I share today here, thank you to  my dear Venetian friend and celebrity Chef Marika Contaldo Seguso, one my favorite recipe to eat the zucchini flowers: stuffed with mozzarella. A real salty treat .

                                                                           
Serving 6

BATTER :

½ Cup of All Purpose flour

Iced Sparkling water

1 Liter of Sunflower oil or Peanut Oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Whisk 1 cup of flour with iced sparkling water until rich a creamy consistency.

Add 1 tsp of salt and let it rest in refrigerator

ZUCCHINI FLOWERS FILLING:

6 Zucchini flowers

1C  Mozzarella Cheese cubed

2 T Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl

Remove the pistil of the flower.

Carefully stuff the flowers with the Mozzarella mixture.

Close the petals and deep in the Tempura Batter.

Deep the sliced vegetable in the batter and deep fried in very hot sunflower oil.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

TIPS

Seasoning & Presentation

Sprinkle sea salt flakes.
Served with a Cream of Basil and Tomatoes.

Celebrity Chef Marika Contaldo Seguso 

 

To connect with Marika:

•  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcquolinaCooking/

•  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acquolinacooking/
•  www.acquolina.com

Join me on my official mailing list www.giadavalenti.com  to be part of my world of lovers of love and to to stay connected with me.

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And if you want to join me on the Giada Valenti “From Venice With Love” Cruise on the MSC Musica leaving from Venice on July 9, you can visit www.giadavalenti.com/Cruise to register and more info.

My favorite sweet treat: Galani

I'm so excited to share today the recipe of one of my favorite sweets: Galani or Crostoli. As you read on my previous BLOG, they are a typical dessert of the Venice Carnival together with the Frittelle, but with a much older origin.  

We Venetians have no doubt in recognizing the Republic of Venice as the birthplace of these sweets, but the Tuscans swear that they are their invention and call them "cenci" (rags) or “chiacchiere” (chatter). And so, almost every region in Italy, have christen them with their own name claiming in this way the paternity: from the “lattughe” (lettuce) in Brescia, to the “bugie” (lies) in Piedmont and Liguria, from the “frappe” or “flappe” in Umbria to the “sfrappole” in Romagna. Some regions have given their own spin to the recipe, that can include sprinkling them with orange zest or using anisette wine as the alcoholic base. 

All these names and variation for one very sweet thin ribbon-shaped dessert with a very ancient origins. In fact to trace the origin of these sweets, we should look back to the times of the Romans, who, during the Spring Festival, used to prepare, with the same mixture with which they made lasagne, made some cakes very similar to the modern galani, fried in pork fat and then covered with honey, known as Fritte.

Although prepared with the same recipe, the Galani, typical of the city of Venice, are strips of very very thin pasta cut in the form of ribbons, long or short, before being dipped into the hot fat. I galani are thin and brittle, while the pasta of Fritte is slightly less crumblier and thicker.

I have found out that they are called "Angel Wings” here in the United States. 

They are light, crispy and delicious.

Here is how to make them, according to the traditional Venetian recipe, thanks to my dear Venetian friend and Celebrity Chef Marika Contaldo Seguso. 

See below the links to connect with her.

Ingredients

500 gr  (1-1/2 cups) flour

70 gr (1-1/2 tablespoons) granulated Sugar

3 eggs (medium size) + 1 yolk 

70 gr (1 tbs) butter

35 gr grappa

1/3 cup of milk

Sunflower Oil

1 Pinch of salt

1 Vanilla Bean

7 gr ( 0,2 oz) cake yeast

Milk q.b.

6 SERVINGS

Preparation

In a medium size bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt until foamy.

Add the Grappa and then the sifted flour to the yeast. 

Add the vanilla seed with the butter and work the dough until it gets smooth and compact.

If necessary you can add a little milk.

Make it into a ball, wrap in kitchen film and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Divide the dough in small portions of approximately 100 gr. (a fist size).

Roll each dough portion as thin as possible.

Cut in diamond shape with 2 parallel incision in the centre.

Fry with hot oil in a wide skillet 2-3 Galani at the time. 

Fry until golden.

Drain over a baking sheet and sprinkle with confectioners sugars before serving.

 To connect with Marika:

•  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcquolinaCooking/

•  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acquolinacooking/
•  www.acquolina.com

Join me on my official mailing list www.giadavalenti.com  to to be part of my world of lovers of love and to to stay connected with me.

And if you want to join me on the Giada Valenti “From Venice With Love” Cruise on the MSC Musica leaving from Venice on July 9, you can visit www.giadavalenti.com/Cruise to register and more info.