Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
A simple filling of chicken breast ground with seasonings, eggs, and cream fills zucchini flowers which have a tiny new baby zucchini attached. The fragile zucchini flowers will only hold for a day, so shop for this is a dish the day you plan to serve it.
Ingredients
- Zucchini flowers - 24, 2- to 3-inch zucchinis attached
- Chicken Breasts - 4
- Salt - 2 teaspoons
- Freshly ground pepper - 2 teaspoons
- Whole Eggs - 4
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Basil - 1 small, bunch, stemmed and chopped
- Tomatoes - 2, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Black Olives - 1 cup, chopped
- Olive oil - 1-1/2 cups
- Dried black olives - 1 cup, chopped
- Basil Sprigs - 4
Instructions
With your fingers, reach into the blossoms and gently pull out the hard pistils. Discard them.
Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks and place in a food processor. Add the salt and pepper. Process for three or four pulses, then turn on the machine and add the eggs through the feed tube, one at a time. Pour in the cream and process until blended. Remove from the machine and stir in the basil. Put the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe into the flowers, inserting the tip between the petals and filling the space. Fill two-thirds of the way up the flowers and close the petals around the filling.
Place the zucchinis in the top of a steamer in a single layer and place over boiling water; do not let the water touch the zucchinis. Steam for 4 to 6 minutes, until the gourd portion is slightly softened and the chicken mixture has cooked through and firmed. Remove and place on paper towels.
To serve: Put the diced tomato, black olives, and olive oil in a small pan and warm over medium heat. Cut the blossoms and gourds in half lengthwise. Place six halves on each plate in pairs, crossing the gourd portion of each pair. Drizzle with the warm tomato-black olive mixture. Sprinkle with black olives and garnish with a basil sprig.
