As luck would have it, last week I had a full garden of zucchini blossoms, but this week, I have only zucchini! Not that I am complaining of course! So my plans for making zucchini blossom anything fell apart. This French Fridays with Dorie, which was supposed to be Shrimp filled Zucchini Blossoms, but as I am not actually fond of shrimp, I had planned to make the Feta Filled Zucchini Blossoms that I learned how to make at Kea Artisanal in Greece. But since I was not able to get blossoms in time from the store, we’ll just revisit my time at Kea with Aglaia.
Aglaia Kremezi is a food writer, journalist, and one of Greece’s foremost cooking authorities and she runs Kea Artisanal with her husband, Costas, on the island in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Kea is just an hour ferry ride from Lavrio, a port south of Athens.
If you ever want to go on a culinary vacation to one of the most beautiful places on earth, and learn from someone who is truly able to pass along the techniques, history and traditions of Greek cooking, then you should visit Kea Artisanal. Their hospitality and their passion for teaching is exceptional. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
It was there that I was introduced to Zucchini Blossoms. I’d never had them before and the way we prepared them was so incredibly easy. Simply done, with a small piece of Feta cheese and a sprig of mint, then covered in a light batter and fried. On the side, we made a zingy potato-garlic spread, Skordalia to dip them and some other vegetables in to- and it was phenomenal!
You can read the post about my Kea Artisanal trip and blossoms here. See more photos here.
Here we dried out the centers with paper towels-
Then we filled each blossom with a small piece of Feta cheese and a sprig of mint, twisting the ends slightly to close the blooms.
A quick dip in a light batter and into the oil it goes.
The finished vegetables, with flatbreads and Skordalia…..
Aglaia
So while my French Fridays with Dorie this week was not really French, and not really Dorie (although the batter is the same for both recipes!), it was great to relive my time on Kea and rekindle my fond memories of zucchini blossoms and Aglaia.
For details on creating these recipes, check out the FFWD site and see others who are also cooking the book-
You can also buy the book here:
That looks like a wonderful class – and I think the feta sounds amazing 🙂
Very nice post, Renee! I also enjoyed reliving your time in Greece! Sounds like an exceptional trip! Thanks for sharing.
It looks like a lovely trip! I hope you can find the blossoms around again soon to eat again! Have a great week!
IN 2006 I spent 8 days with Aglaia and her husband Costas. They are the reason I started blogging an got me excited about food!!
Oh, Renee, even though you were unsuccessful in your blossoms gathering, I did enjoy your recounting your trip to Kea. It sounds like an amazing adventure. Your plate of food looks delicious as well. The bread – wonderful.
Your feta version and the way that you were able to produce them sounds lovely!
I’m glad your lack of blossoms this time around prompted you to share your memories and photos. Nice post!
Wonderful that you got to re-live some fantastic memories! The photos are beautiful.
I didn’t ever find the blossoms, though I’m holding out hope. Yours with feta sound delicious.