Crispy Zucchini Flowers

With some fallen caramelized leaves on the floor and slightly chilly summer evenings, September is finally here. Although summer is not actually my favorite season like everyone else's, I won't complain. This has been a great summer for me. 

To sum up I have travelled a lot. First we went to Izmir to organize a summer camp for economically disadvantaged children, then I went to Italy and fell in love with two incredible cities: Rome and Florence. I came back to Turkey and went to our tiny summer house in Canakkale, where I spent 6 weeks relaxing, swimming, reading and cooking with my grandmother. I later came back to Istanbul to get started on my university preparation program. Just before the bayram, I was lucky enough to visit Bodrum and now I am finally here, at my desk, in my cozy room ready to share some of my favorite recipes with you. 

This Crispy Zucchini Flowers is actually a copy-cat version of the one I tried back in Italy. We first stayed at Rome for 4 days but then took the train and went up to Florence. My parents and I chose to rent a tiny apartment near the center of the city. There was a tiny market at the corner and we cooked most of our lunches and dinners there. However one night, whilst I was Instagramming some of my favorite food bloggers I bumped into a post that recommended a fantastic restaurant where both locals and foodies from all around the world cannot leave Florence without having a bite here. Plus the restaurant was around the corner of the apartment that we stayed. So we couldn't miss this opportunity and decided to go there. 

The fantastic restaurant I mentioned earlier is called "Trattoria Za Za". It is almost always very crowded so I highly recommend you reserve a table in advance. We had the Florentine steak and it was perfect. However what really stunned us was the fried and extremely crispy zucchini flowers. From the moment I bit into the crispy fritters, I knew that I was going to try them back at home. 

(The restaurant also offers great pastas and I was quiet excited to try the gnocchi with truffles (actual real truffles instead of truffle oil) however when I realized that I haven't ever tried a 1 kg steak before I decided to share that with my parents. But if you have the chance please do try that one as well :)

So, when I was at the farmers market in Canakkale, I spotted an old lady selling a bouquet of zucchini flowers for 2 liras. What a bargain! I got a bunch and headed back to our tiny kitchen to bring Florence to our table. The zucchinis turned out to be AMAZING. The crispy outside of the zucchini flowers with the perfect spicy yoghurt dipping sauce will definitely be your next game day favorite. You can also serve this as an appetizer or a snack, either way you are guaranteed to have a fantastic dish. So here is the recipe for Crispy Zucchini Flowers, I hope you'll enjoy:

Ingredients: 

12 zucchini flowers

1 egg

1/3 cup all purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup for battering

1/2 cup corn starch

150 ml club soda/sparkling water (cold)

1/2 tbsp. baking soda

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for frying 

For the yoghurt sauce:

1 cup yoghurt (not sweet)

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of hot sauce (or more if desired)

1 teaspoon of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Start by cleaning the flowers, remove the stem inside the petals and give a nice shake upside down. Make sure to wipe out any remaining sign of dust or soil with a damp cloth. Keep the stem on to make the battering easier. 

2) In a medium mixing bowl, crack in the egg with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Sift in the flour, the baking soda and the cornstarch over the mixture. Pour in the ice-cold club soda and give it a nice mix. Do not over mix, some lumps are fine. 

3) Heat the oil in a medium pan. Place the 1/2 cup flour in a shallow bowl. First dip the zucchini flowers in to the flour, then to the batter. (I like to double dip for an extra crispy result). Dip the flowers back into the flour and later to the batter again for the double dip. Add carefully into the frying pan.

4) Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Make sure the heat is on medium low so that the zucchinis won't burn. Take on a plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with more salt while the zucchinis are hot. Remove the stems for a prettier presentation. 

For the yoghurt sauce:

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients. 

Enjoy.