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Post by artisans on Jul 22, 2009 9:04:55 GMT 2
When you buy courgettes in Corfu, there is often a two-tier pricing system. Yesterday's 'kolokithia' are much the same as in supermarkets in northern Europe, while today's still have the beautifully twisted yellow flowers on them. Naturally, the latter are a little more expensive. At 9:30 yesterday morning, in the market in Corfu Town, we came across a third variety - courgettes with the flowers still open! In this heat, one must assume that those vegetables had still been growing within the last hour or so because the flowers close very quickly when picked. If we cook stuffed courgette flowers - a real delicacy - we order our flowers the day before, they are delivered to our door early in the morning, then stuffed and cooked within the hour. Now that's fresh! What a shame we can't buy them in the UK. Steve
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2009 13:01:07 GMT 2
Sadly not in the same way as you do Steve, but there are local pick your own farms now growing such things as courgettes, which one can pick in stages, including with the flowers on, which can be stuffed. I actually grow a few of my own in a large pot in my little garden. Sadly not many though.
Yeimas, Chris
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Post by artisans on Jul 22, 2009 19:58:23 GMT 2
Interesting Chris, I've had a problem with the flowers rotting on the end of small 80mm courgettes and it is because they don't get pollinated. The first lot I just composted, but then I remembered Eleni at OPA giving us a few of her favourite vegetable last year - simple, boiled, whole, baby courgettes. Last week, we were at Roda Park with Petra and her family for Danny's 18th birthday and Kostas served exactly the same dish. The penny dropped - I haven't confirmed it, but local people won't waste food and they are picking the unpollinated courgettes, dropping them in boiling water and they make the most delicious mini-vegetable.
Steve
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Post by petra on Jul 23, 2009 11:33:07 GMT 2
Just wanted to let everybody know, that we had a wonderful dinner at RodaPark last saturday as Steve said. Kosta made us a lot of different plates of mezze, it was more than we could eat!! It's a shame a lot of people don't want to try different Greek dishes because they don't know them.... the food was wonderful, wish you all could have been there to try...... If you like to try the mezze as well, just ask Kosta a few days in advance because he has to make this all fresh of course.. Petra btw : we liked the birthdaycake as well!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2009 12:09:54 GMT 2
I would imagine Steve, referring back to my original post that being in controlled environments, these vegetables maybe under a controlled pollination course. Just a thought. I have not seen them in the supermarkets as yet, but some special market stalls have them. Or as I said, grown your own. Brush pollination if need be.
Yeiamas, Chris
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Post by kathwebber on Jul 28, 2009 16:12:09 GMT 2
Can I ask a really stupid question? What do you stuff the courgette flower with?
Regards, Kath.
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Post by artisans on Jul 28, 2009 19:32:23 GMT 2
Hi Kath, Kostas at Roda Park made them for Danny's birthday stuffed with a mixture based on Anthotiro cheese. I prefer the recipe that Eftichia uses which is very much like Dolmades using onion, rice, mint & pepper. The beauty is that you don't have to cook the rice because you gently pack a couple of teaspoons of the mixture into each flower, fold over the ends and arrange them side by side in the bottom of a pan. Just cover with stock, place a small plate on top to stop them floating and poach gently for 40 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. let them cool and serve with tzatziki - one of life's great delicacies!
Steve
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Post by kathwebber on Jul 29, 2009 9:57:56 GMT 2
That sounds fab! Presumably these 'flowers' aren't tiny! Now, where can I get some of those pesky flowers?!!
best wishes, Kath.
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jacks
Roda Anorak
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Post by jacks on Jul 29, 2009 14:47:38 GMT 2
They're really hard to come by in the UK, according to the websites I've looked at.
There's some pics here....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courgette
Jackie
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Post by artisans on Aug 7, 2009 8:50:22 GMT 2
Just for Kath - here's a courgette flower from Roda - from 4" to 6" across. If you manage to get some, use small kitchen tongs to carefully remove the stamen, snip off the (five?) green bits on the outside, cut off the stalk near to the base of the flower and they're ready for a couple of teaspoons of the mixture. This the way Eftichia showed me.
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Post by kathwebber on Aug 7, 2009 9:44:58 GMT 2
Wow thanks for that - they do look fragile though - dont think we can get such things in geordieland. Cant even do a simple thing like get our footy club sorted so no chance of courgette flowers!
best wishes, Kath.
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Post by jeanp on Aug 7, 2009 12:25:21 GMT 2
......lmao.....
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