U RecettAriel
Sciô de sűcca pěn,
Fiori di zucca o zucchino ripieni,
Stuffed pumpkin or zucchini/courgette flowers
As we said in the "Appetizers" section, pumpkin or zucchini/courgette flowers are very popular in Liguria.
The best ones are the "male" flowers, with a longer stem, since they're bigger, but the others (the ones sprouting from the zucchini/courgettes end) will do in any case.
To serve 4 you'll need:
20-24 flowers
3 handfuls of grated Parmigiano cheese
3 medium-sized potatoes
olive oil
the pith of 3 bread rolls
some spoonfuls of milk
2 eggs, whole
some marjoram
salt
Boil the potatoes and mash them to make a rather solid purče. Add the marjoram, season and let them cool.
Add the pith (soaked in milk and well drained), the eggs, the cheese and mix well.
Clean the flowers discarding the central part (the pistil). Clean them well with a wet cloth but don't wash them.
Stuff the flowers with the purče, closing them to "enfold" it (you may want to use some small toothpicks).
Put the flowers in a single layer in a baking pan greased with a few spoonfuls of olive oil.
Pre-heat the oven at 180 - 190° C/360 - 375° F and cook the flowers for 20-30 minutes. Should they dry too much, you can cover them with aluminium fold (or simply add some vegetable broth and turn them upside down!!).
Serve warm or room temperature.
The same stuffing may be used for any vegetable, simply "digging" and adding the central part to the filling mixture.
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