Courgette flowers are difficult to come by unless you know a grower or grow them yourself. Like many of the best things in life, they are delicate, fleeting beauties that refuse to share their grace with supermarket shelves. I tear them into salads or give them to my brother Tom, who is a chef. He uses them in his recipe below.
Serves 4
For the risotto
vegetable or chicken stock 1 litre
butter 75g
onion 1, finely chopped
garlic clove 1, finely chopped
arborio or Italian risotto rice 250g
white wine 75ml
courgettes 4, finely chopped
parmesan 110g, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tempura
vegetable oil 300ml
plain flour 50g
cornflour 50g
salt a pinch
sparkling water 110-150ml
small courgettes with flowers attached 4-8
Heat the stock in a pan over a low heat. Melt 25g of the butter in a separate pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is foaming add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until soft. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the rice in the butter. Once the rice has started to turn translucent, add the wine and bring to the boil. Reduce the liquid by half, then add the warm stock one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly after each addition until nearly all the stock is absorbed before adding the next ladleful. Cook until the rice is cooked, but still a little al dente.
Heat a separate frying pan and melt 25g of the butter. Add the courgettes and fry for 1 minute, until just tender. Add the courgettes to the risotto and stir well to combine. Add the remaining 25g of butter and the parmesan. Season to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Make the tempura. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based pan until hot but not smoking or a breadcrumb sizzles when dropped in. Place the flour, cornflour, salt and sparkling water into a bowl. Stir to combine very briefly, until the batter just comes together, adding a little more water if necessary. Dip the courgettes and their flowers into the batter to coat completely, then place into the hot oil. Fry on each side until crisp and golden brown, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Hot oil can be dangerous so do not leave the pan unattended.
Serve hot, layering a pile of tempura courgette flowers and shavings of parmesan over the risotto.
From Do Grow by Alice Holden (The Do Book Company, £7.99 or £3.99 ebook). To order for £5.59 with free UK p&p, click here
