Baked Zucchini Flowers stuffed with Feta and Basil

I had never tried zucchini flowers before lastnight......

I removed the stamen very carefully (the petals are so fragile) and stuffed them with some beautiful feta that I had crumbled with some julienned basil.  I then drizzled them with olive oil and baked for 25 minutes at 180C.

To serve with these beautiful specimens I made a tomato, pumpkin and zucchini risotto. The stock for this risotto is made by simmering vegetable stock with ripe chopped tomatoes, an onion, parsley stalks and a bay leaf. You then strain the stock and add a cup of white wine and a tablespoon of tomato paste. The base of the risotto is finely chopped leek and garlic, sauteed in olive oil before coating the rice well. The stock is then added ladle by ladle until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice cooked. At the end I mixed through roasted pumpkin and steamed baby zucchini strips.

I also made a basil oil (by blending a basil, garlic and olive oil) to drizzle over the top.
I was so pleased with this dish. The flavours complimented each other so well. The delicate zucchini flowers were delicious and the feta stuffing was amazing (we bought the feta at the markets).