Stuffed zucchini blossoms
Zucchini blossoms are the blossoms that grow on Zucchini, so they are a material that we find in the summer months. In the monastery kitchen "nothing goes waste it" and all available raw materials from the monasteries orchards are used. So, with these blossoms, wonderful stuffed zucchini flowers with rice and aromatics are made. A classic Greek dish in its simplest version, as befits monks cuisine. But when do we cut the zucchini blossoms, where do we find them and how are they preserved? Read the following recipe from Mount Athos and all your questions will be answered.
We put in a pot the olive oil and frizzle the green onions on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
We add the rice and mix well so that the oil gets everywhere.
We pour about a cup of water and cook for another 5 minutes.
We remove the pot from the heat and add the parsley, dill and half the lemon juice.
We season the filling sufficiently with salt and pepper, mix well and set aside to cool.
Carefully we wash the zucchini blossoms with cold water, remove the stems from inside and drain them.
We stuff each zucchini blossom with filling about halfway up and close them by pressing the leaves inward crosswise.
We place them in a wide pot or a deep pan so that they are squeezed together and there is no room for them to move and open during boiling.
We add the rest of the lemon juice and water to the pot so that the zucchini blossoms are half covered.
We place a plate upside down on the zucchini blossoms to prevent them from moving during boiling.
We simmer about 25 minutes.
If we want, pour over them tahini lemon which we make with the broth of the food left in the pot.
If we pick the zucchini blossoms ourselves from our garden, we always do it very early in the morning, while the flowers are still open. This way we stuff them more easily, without the risk of tearing them.
If we have any filling left over, we pour it in the pot.
If we do not have our own vegetable garden, either we or someone we know, then we can get zucchini blossoms from greengrocers, from street markets or from special stores that sell more difficult to find food. The visit to the public market should be done very early in the morning.
