Cretan Fried Kolokithoanthoi (Κρητικοί Τηγανητοί Κολοκυθοανθοί)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •wide heavy frying pan, 28cm
• •small teaspoon for filling blossoms
• •wire rack for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the blossoms

   Work with the blossoms as soon as you can after picking or buying them. Open each one gently, pinch out the stamen, and check for grit or insects. If they need washing, dip them quickly in cool water and lay them open on a clean towel to dry. Wet petals tear and spit in the pan.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Mix the rice, grated zucchini, onion, spring onions, dill, mint, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. The filling should look loose and green, not packed like stuffing for meat. The rice will swell in the oil, so leave it room. This is the step that decides whether the blossoms stay neat or split open.

   Short-grain rice gives a softer center. Long-grain rice stays separate, which is useful in pilafi, not here.
3. 3

   Fill gently

   Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into each blossom, only halfway up the flower. Fold the petals over the filling to close them, then set each parcel seam-side down. Don't twist the petals hard. They are flowers, not rope.

4. 4

   Mix the batter

   Whisk the flour, cold water, olive oil, and salt into a thin batter, just thick enough to cling to a spoon. Let it rest for 10 minutes while you heat the oil. A thin coat lets the petal crisp and keeps the kolokithoanthoi light.

5. 5

   Fry in batches

   Pour oil into a wide frying pan to a depth of about 1cm and heat over medium-high heat. Dip each blossom in batter, let the excess drip off, and lay it into the oil seam-side down. Fry in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until pale gold and crisp at the edges.

6. 6

   Drain and serve

   Lift the blossoms onto a rack or paper-lined plate and salt them lightly while hot. Let them stand for 5 minutes so the filling settles, then serve with lemon wedges. They are best warm, when the outside is crisp and the rice inside is soft.

Chef Tips

• •Buy blossoms in the morning if you can. Male flowers are easiest to stuff, with long stems and no baby courgette attached, but either works if the petals are fresh and open.
• •If the blossoms are closing, don't force them wide. Slip in a smaller spoonful of filling and accept a smaller parcel. Λίγα και καλά: better ten good blossoms than twenty torn ones.
• •Serve these with lemon, strained yogurt, or a little feta on the table, not buried in the filling unless you're making the cheese-stuffed Cretan version. The rice version has its own name to protect.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice filling can be mixed up to 4 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
• •Clean the blossoms no more than 2 hours ahead; they wilt quickly once opened.
• •Fry close to serving. They can sit 20 minutes, but they don't improve by waiting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)