Crispy Stuffed Courgette or Pumpkin Flowers with Prawns
Memories of Summer from France to England, with a dash of African magic!
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I remember the day I fell madly and deeply in love with courgette flowers. It was the first day I walked into the ‘belly of Cannes’. After breakfast in our beach front hotel, we strolled on the Riviera, past the boats and imposing yachts and terrace restaurants that line the Quai Saint Pierre, and found ourselves in Le Suquet. The heart of Cannes, Marché Forville is one of the most loved markets in the French Riviera. An indoor market with a theatrical Provençal style architecture of false dove coats (intended to attract pigeons), pergolas, balconies and sponge cakes (a roofing style called genoise, and not an actual sponge cake)
Within the ochre walls is a vast space with towering ceilings, housing a wide range of stalls selling flowers in one corner and the rest with local and international produce, including fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, spices, fresh and dried herbs from Masala to Herbes de Provence…with lavender. For me, always with lavender, and that's why I love grinding my own spices.
As a greedy gob, with my tummy rumbling a little, after a morning walk around the promenade and into the heart of Cannes, I first noticed the food stalls dotted around the outside of the market. You will see them as you enter, selling tarts, Les Petits Farcis Niçois (stuffed vegetables), jars of tapenade, mounts of olives and, you might see wood fired dome ovens wheeled in for fresh socca, the much loved chickpea pancakes sold across the region.
Unfortunately, staying in a hotel does not allow one to buy fresh ingredients to take back ‘home’ for a feast, however there was plenty of cooked food, ready for the climb up to the higher point of Le Suquet.
What to eat in the South of France
Tapanade - a Provencal olive spread
Fougasse - a leaf shaped bread similar to focaccia
Pissaladière - another local favourite of dough topped with onions, garlic, herbs, tomatoes, anchovies and olive oil. I’m not a fan of anchovies!
Les Petit Farcis Niçois- seasonal stuffed fruits like tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes, with cheese, meats, fish…
Socca - chickpea pancakes and one of my favourites.
Fleurs de courgette, deep fried into beignet de fleurs de courgettes. Mon amour! Deep fried on the spot in the market. I loved it, although it was a little greasy. I’ve been fascinated by courgette flowers ever since.
Have you tried any of theses wherever you are or in the South of France?
Bring the flavours of the South of France, home!
Back home in the UK, I started looking for courgette flowers. Buying them from local producers, and collecting from neighbours who had no clue what to do with them, especially while trying to manage their courgette glut. I am lucky to be part of a community garden/allotment where volunteers grow food shared amongst charities, while providing a healing space for us all. It is here that I learned how to pick courgette flowers. The male flowers have a straight, thin stem while the female flowers are attached to courgettes (naturally…) Inside the flowers you will find their reproductive organs, a long stamen attached to the bottom of the male flower, filled with powdery yellow pollen that pollinates the female plants. The female has multiple pistils, which includes its ovaries. I only pick the female flowers if the courgette is a good size for cooking. This could easily be a baby courgette. But by picking mostly male flowers, which are usually abundant, you will allow more courgettes to grow. Bees and some bugs help to transfer the pollen from the males to the females. That’s your lesson in picking courgette flowers, before this turns into a gardening newsletter.
Here’s the twist
Don’t forget to heed my advice in the Cook’s Tips below, for a crispy batter without buckets of oil, and you will find excellent swap ideas for prawns. I recently filmed an episode of an exciting new TV show (more on that I promise), and as the head gardener of one of the National Trust gardens walked me through their gorgeous garden, I spotted what looked like larger courgette flowers, but they were in the pumpkin patch. And just like that, it suddenly occurred to me. Why have I been insisting on picking only courgette flowers? My friends from across the pond do call it squash blossoms, somehow it just didn’t click. I noticed they are larger than courgette flowers. Although I am yet to try squash flowers/blossoms, the respected gardener at the National Trust assured me that they were practically the same.
And a dash of African magic…
Grains of paradise / Alligator peppers - a luxurious, bewitchingly fragrant African alternative to black pepper, with hints of pepper, citrus & cardamom (A very important spice Nigerians use in prayers at weddings, baby naming ceremonies, you name it) creates an explosion of flavours in each mouthful. I use a lot of it in my home cooking and in Africana Cookbook. I used it here with these delicate flowers with a delicious aromatic filling. I hope to have you hooked in no time.
Now let’s get cooking.
Crispy Stuffed Courgette Flowers with Prawns (watch here)
Feeds 4
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients