Zucchini Flower Sauce
The following recipe is from the May 20 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
I think that zucchini flowers are one of the most beautiful things you can eat. They are lovely and elegant, and they just scream summer. When they are in season, zucchini flowers are delicious stuffed, fried, or sautéed.
Unfortunately, their beauty and their flavors are fleeting. This recipe for Zucchini Flower Sauce from Eugenia Bone's Well-Preserved is a wonderful way to keep the warm, summery flavors of zucchini flowers around all year, with a little help from the freezer. Bone incorporates this sauce into a basic risotto recipe, as a sauce for a mild fish, or as an addition to a quesadilla.
Ingredients
yield: 4 cups
- 1 pound zucchini flowers
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 cups homemade or all-natural low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon of warm water for a few minutes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Procedures
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1
Check the insides of the zucchini flowers for insects. Unless you think the plants were sprayed with insecticide, do not wash. Coarsely chop.
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2
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini flowers and saute over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the flowers are soft. You will smell their delicate perfume.
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3
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4
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5
Defrost the sauce in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or, to speed up the defrosting, place the closed container in a bowl of cool water for about 2 hours.
