142Stuffed courgette flowers

Method

Aegean summer rice and herb stuffing. Best enjoyed warm or at room temperature as a meze or light lunch with fresh bread.

You will need

• wide shallow saucepan with lid
• heatproof ceramic plate
• box grater
• mixing bowl

1. Wipe the courgette flowers gently with a damp paper towel and carefully reach inside each bloom to snip out the central stamen or pistil without tearing the delicate petals. 10 min Ready when: blossoms are clean, open, and hollow
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the short-grain rice, grated onions, grated tomatoes, grated courgette, chopped mint, chopped dill, salt, black pepper, and 60 ml of the olive oil, mixing thoroughly with a spoon. 5 min Ready when: mixture is juicy and well combined
3. Fill each courgette flower with about 1 heaped teaspoon of the rice mixture, taking care not to overfill, then fold the petals inward over the top one over the other to seal like a neat packet. 15 min Ready when: flowers are gently plump but have room for rice to swell
4. Arrange the stuffed blossoms seam-side down in snug concentric circles in a wide, shallow, heavy saucepan. 5 min Ready when: parcels fit snugly together in a single compact layer
5. Drizzle the remaining 60 ml of olive oil over the flowers, pour in the warm water around the edges, and invert an heatproof ceramic plate directly over the flowers to hold them in place. 2 min Ready when: plate rests flat and weighs down the flowers lightly
6. Place over medium heat until the liquid begins to boil, then immediately turn the heat to low, cover the pan with its lid, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. 30 min Ready when: rice is tender and liquid is absorbed into rich oil
7. Remove from heat, lift off the plate, and let the pot rest uncovered for 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. 15 min Ready when: oil settles and flavours deepen

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Make ahead and storing

Can be cooked several hours ahead; flavours develop remarkably well as it cools to room temperature.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Substitutions

• cracked bulgur wheat for short-grain rice. A frequent traditional variation in Crete and Karpathos.

Common mistakes

• Overstuffing the delicate blossoms. The raw rice expands significantly as it absorbs liquid, which will tear and split the tender petals wide open.
• Omitting the inverted plate weight during simmering. Without the light weight holding them compact, the boiling liquid will unfurl the petal folds and disperse the filling into the pot.

Regional variants

• Cretan anthoi with mizithra and mint filling, sometimes dipped in batter and fried
• Rhodian style with a pinch of cumin and pine nuts added to the rice

About the dish

Stuffed courgette blossoms are one of the supreme seasonal delicacies of the Aegean summer, especially in Crete and the Dodecanese. Male flowers are gathered at dawn when the blooms are wide open and pristine. In the traditional plant-based laderi preparation, the gossamer-thin petals are filled with short-grain rice, grated onions, ripe tomatoes, and generous bundles of fresh spearmint and dill, then gently braised in olive oil under an inverted plate so they maintain their delicate parcel shape without bursting.

Found in Crete, Dodecanese, Cyclades, Peloponnese, North Aegean. Cooked for summer, everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Kabak çiçeği dolması (Turkish). Widely prepared across the Aegean coast of Turkey with identical herbed rice fillings.
• Fiori di zucca ripieni (Italian). Italian cooks typically stuff the flowers with ricotta or mozzarella and fry them in batter, whereas Greeks simmer them like dolmades.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

439 kcal · protein 5.1 g · fat 28.2 g (saturated 3.9 g) · carbohydrate 43.1 g (sugars 6.7 g) · fibre 4.3 g · sodium 598 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following the classic Aegean island laderi home tradition of herb-packed stuffed vegetables..