Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

This recipe makes 30 Zucchini Flowers

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
15 tbsp. White rice
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley (minced)
1/2 bunch of fresh mint (minced)
1/2 bunch of fresh dill
1 onion (minced)
1 large juicy lemon (lemon juice)
1 tsp salt

For the Avgolemono:

1 Lemon (lemon juice)
1 Egg

Recipe:

Remove the stamens and wash the zucchini flowers - set them aside to dry. 

In a pan sauté in low heat the minced onion along with the scallions for 2-3 minutes until they blend well. Add the rice and continue to mix with a wooden spoon for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat while you continue to blend the ingredients for a few more seconds.  Let this mixture which will serve as a stuffing rest for 10 minutes.
At this point your stuffing should look like the one in the images below:

Using a spoon open up and fill the zucchini flowers with the rice stuffing. 

In a casserole, place the zucchini flowers as you stuff them so they are tight together. Once you fill the casserole, cover the flowers with a plate to prevent them from shifting while cooking. Add enough water to barely cover them. Once the water starts to boil, lower the heat, add 3-4 tbsp. of olive oil and let the flowers slow cook for 20-25 minutes.  

In the meantime, prepare the Avgolemono sauce. 

Beat together the egg with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice while adding to it a few tablespoons of the broth from the zucchini flowers. Usually 4-5 tablespoons of broth will do the trick.

When the zucchini flowers are ready to pour the Avgolemono sauce on top and let it rest for 5 minutes prior to serving. 

For best presentation, arrange the flowers in a platter.

Revithia (Chickpea Soup)

Legumes are an integral part of Greek Cuisine and a big element in the Mediterranean diet.   Here is a flavorful recipe to give you an excuse to try them outside the salad or side dish arena.  You can make THIS your main dish!

Ingredients:

3 cups of dried garbanzo beans (revithia)
2 large onions
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice (two small or one large juicy lemon) - optional
Salt
Pepper

Recipe:

Soak the dried garbanzo beans overnight in warm water - ideally try to change their water at least once within the next 12 hours.

When the garbanzo beans soften up, drain and place on the side.

Slice the onions and sauté them with some olive oil - you want to sauté just enough to get the bitterness out of the onion not enough to turn their color, 2 minutes should be sufficient.

Place the sautéed onions in a casserole along with the garbanzo beans and cover with just enough water (water should be half an inch higher than the garbanzo beans).

Bring the mix to a boil and remove any scum that might form.

Lower the heat and allow soup to simmer for 2 hours while checking to see if more water needs to be added to the soup while it simmers.  Sometimes it takes a bit longer than 2 hours for the soup to be at optimum cooking levels, as it all depends on the quality of the legumes you are using, and the time they spent soaking, so be mindful of that.

When you notice that the texture reaches the desired level, and the garbanzo beans are soft you can add the extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
For those who like the zesty flavor of lemon, you can finish the soup with some lemon juice.

Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat and serve.