Crispy stuffed courgette flower with tomato fondue and basil sauce
Item 1 of 1
These crispy stuffed courgette flowers make a stunning summer starter, especially when paired with a sweet tomato fondue and a vibrant green basil sauce, although they are quite easy to prepare at home. Cornelius Gallagher stuffs his flowers with Tomme de Savoie cheese and coats them in golden breadcrumbs for a crunchy finish.
First published in 2016
discover more:
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Crispy stuffed courgette flowers
- 4 courgette flowers
- 50g of Tomme de Savoie, or similar semi-firm cheese, cut into 4 rectangles
- 1 egg, beaten
- 75g of Panko breadcrumbs (1)
- 75ml of vegetable oil
Tomato fondue
- 2 beef tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 50ml of olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
- 1 bunch of basil
- 1 carrot
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Basil sauce
- 1 handful of basil leaves
- 4 tbsp of toasted pine nuts
- 30g of grated Parmesan
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
- olive oil, to taste
To garnish
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Begin with the tomato fondue. Gently heat through the olive oil in a pan then add the minced garlic and shallots. Cook through for a few minutes until softened before stirring through the peeled and chopped tomatoes
2
Keeping the bunch of basil tied together, add this to the pan to help flavour the fondue. Cook for a few more minutes until the tomatoes start to soften, then add the whole carrot to add a little sweetness (an old Italian cooking tip)
3
Cover the pan with a lid and cook gently for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down slightly and the mixture is soft. Remove the basil bunch and whole carrot from the pan and season to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve
4
To make the basil sauce, place the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and garlic in a blender and blitz to combine. Continue blending while adding enough olive oil to bring together as a smooth, vibrant green sauce
5
Transfer to a small pan and very gently warm through before serving
6
Remove any stamen from inside the courgette flowers and stuff with the pieces of cheese, folding the petals carefully back around to close. Dip the flowers first in the egg wash then roll in the breadcrumbs to fully coat. Set aside while heating through the oil in a deep frying pan
7
Once the oil is hot, add the coated courgette flowers and pan-fry, turning regularly, for a few minutes until crisp and light golden all over. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper
8
To serve, spoon some of the basil sauce over each serving plate before adding a spoonful of the tomato fondue to the centre. Top with a crispy courgette flower and garnish with a few extra toasted pine nuts, shavings of Parmesan and rocket leaves
Get in touch
Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.
You may also like
SITES
© Great British Chefs 2024