Ingredients
1 egg white
8 kalamata olives, halved
3 1/2 anchovies
6 small basil leaves
200g fresh ricotta
light olive oil, for deep-frying
18 zucchini flowers
lemon wedges, to serve
6 small basil leaves
Batter
100g plain flour
1 tbs olive oil
150ml chilled light beer
Preparation
Gently discard yellow stamens in centre of flowers. Finely chop olives, anchovies and basil. Place in a bowl with ricotta and season to taste with pepper. Spoon a teaspoonful of ricotta mixture into center of each flower, then twist petal ends to enclose. For batter, place flour and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Add oil and beer then whisk until a smooth batter forms. In another bowl, whisk egg white until soft peaks form then gently fold into batter. heat deep oil to medium heat until 180ºC, dip flowers, 1 at a time, into batter, allowing excess to drain off, then deep-fry for 2 minutes or until golden. Scatter with salt and serve with lemon wedges.
