Fried pumpkin and zucchini flowers are considered 'peasant food' in Italian culture. As a little girl my mother would ask me to go to the garden and pick these beautiful bright flowers. I would pick a bunch of these beauties; and bring them in and watch and learn as she prepared them. As she fried these "garden treasures" I would wait with anticipation. I knew how delicious these would be.

Today as I do the same, my heart goes back to that little kitchen where I learned these treasured delicacies and I share these memories and food with my son and daughter.

Lemon Fresh Spaghetti with Garden Sauce & Pumpkin Flowers

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Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

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Ingredients

Units Scale

7 cloves of garlic - chopped
2 vine ripe tomatoes - diced
1 zucchini - sliced
2 dozen pumpkin flowers
1/2 lemon - sliced with skin
Fresh basil leaves
Canola oil - for frying
Olive oil
Fresh Romano cheese - sliced
1 egg plus a splash of water
1 - 2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. of your favorite pasta

Instructions

For the Zucchini:

Heat a large cast iron frying pan with a ¼ inch of canola oil; add the zucchini slices and fry until golden. Do not over crowd the pan. Place the slices on a plate prepared with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

For the Pumpkin Flowers:

Rinse the flowers with cold water in a colander. Gently pat the flowers dry.
Place the flour in a shallow bowl; in another shallow bowl beat the egg with a splash of water. Dip the flowers first in the flour; then the egg-wash and again in the flour.
Heat the frying pan with a ¼ inch of canola oil and place the prepared flowers in the heated oil. Do not over crowd the pan. Fry until slightly golden; then place the flowers on a plate prepared with a paper towel.
Wipe any crumbs from the frying pan. Heat a frying pan with two or three tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the tomatoes, garlic and lemon slices. Sauté the tomatoes on a medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and a sauce like consistency; add the seasonings to taste and the fresh basil.
Prepare the pasta as the sauce cooks.
Place the pasta in the sauce and toss.
Plate the pasta; garnish with the fried zucchini and the fried flowers. Finish the dish with dashes of red pepper flakes; a drizzle of olive oil and fresh Romano cheese shavings.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes