Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (Fiori di Zucca)

I love zucchini flowers.  My Nonna used to make them when my Nonno picked them from the garden.  She would make a batter, dip them, fry them and sprinkle them with sugar.  When I recently asked her why she doesn't make them anymore her response was, "They don't turn out so good...."  So I asked her if they had any in the garden because I wanted to try making them. Nonno went out and came back with three large zucchini.  "She wants the flowers!!" Nonna shouts in Italian.  He's not sure if there is any, but he went out to look anyways.  And he came back with about a dozen.  I have seen a lot of recipes for stuffed zucchini flowers so that's what I wanted to try!

When preparing the flowers, make sure you take out the yellow stamen inside and cut off the stem (if necessary).  You don't need to wash them, but it doesn't hurt to wipe them with a damp paper towel if they look a little dirty.  Be gentle when you open them as you need them to stay in tact in order to be stuffed.  Some of the smaller ones or ones I couldn't stuff, I simply dipped in the same batter, fried them and sprinkled them with sugar like my Nonna does!

Ingredients:
12 zucchini blossoms, ready to be stuffed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1.5 tsp garlic powder (or 1-2 cloves minced garlic)
2 tsp basil, or about 4 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup & 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp lemon juice
oil for frying (vegetable, canola or coconut - I used a combo of vegetable and coconut)

1. Mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil, garlic and salt.  Continue mixing until it has a smooth consistency.  Using a freezer bag, place the mixture into it and cut off the corner to make a piping bag.  Do this just before you are ready to stuff the flowers.

2. Add the lemon juice to the water and give it a quick stir.  In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and lemon water.

3.  Meanwhile heat the oil over medium heat.  You will need a large pan with a couple of inches of oil so the whole flower can fry.

4. Gently pipe about 1-2 tbsp (depending on the flower size) of the ricotta filling into the flowers.  The large flowers will swell up as they are filled.  Twist the top of the petals together to close and seal the flowers.

5.  Test the oil by dropping in some batter.  If it's hot enough it will sizzle and rise to the top.  Dip each flower into the batter one at a time.  Hold the flower by the top where you twisted the petals.  Make sure it is totally covered in batter and let the excess batter drip off.

6. Gently lower the flower into the hot oil.   Cook until the flowers are crispy, about 2-3 minutes.  If the whole flower isn't covered in the oil, turn it over part way through.  Fry the flowers in small batches depending on the size of your pan.

7.  Remove the flowers with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet with a paper towels.  Keep the stuffed flowers warm in a low oven while the others are being fried.  They taste best when they're fresh, but can easily be warmed up again in the oven at a later time.