Fried Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Start off by cleaning your zucchini flowers. Check the insides for petals or small bugs. (I know, it’s yucky, but they can sneak in there!) Rinse them and then pat them dry.

In a medium bowl, add your ricotta, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, parsley and dried Italian seasonings. Mix until well combined. Set aside.

In a shallow dish or container, add your cornstarch, flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Lightly mix with a fork.

In a bowl, crack and whisk your egg. Take a zucchini flower and gently open it and add a teaspoon of the ricotta mix, then roll it in the cornstarch mix and then dip in the egg. Set aside on a separate plate. Continue doing this until all of your zucchini flowers are covered. If you need more egg, you can always crack another.

Prepare a medium size deep pot over medium-high heat and add your 1 ½ cups of oil. When the oil is hot, gently place in your zucchini flowers. Place as many into the oil as you can but don’t crowd the pan—fry in batches if needed. Each flower should take around 3-5 minutes to fry. As they are each done frying, remove them from the oil and place them on a wire rack to cool (a wire rack will also help them avoid steaming up). There is a chance you may have some cornstarch mix left over, so you will just have to throw it out, or use it for another purpose. Eat right away while they are still nice, hot and crunchy! Buon appetito!