Courgette (or zucchini) flowers are a deliciofus, and colourful, addition to your late spring menu. You can buy flowers from most well-stocked supermarkets or greengrocers and farm produce stands. If you have a vegetable patch they're well worth growing. Choose the freshest and firmest flowers available and try to buy on the day you plan to cook them as they are highly perishable. Before cooking you'll need to wash them gently and remove the inner pistil (stamen) then pat them dry with kitchen paper. Here are three delicious recipes, each one to feed four.

Fried Tuscan-style
Ingredients:
16 courgette flowers
3 eggs
100 g flour
oil for frying
salt and pepper
Choose large, firm, fresh flowers. Open them gently and remove the pistils. Wash the flowers and pat them dry. Beat the eggs and season. Heat the oil. Dredge the flowers with flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Fry until golden, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Stuffed Ligurian-style
Ingredients:
16 courgette flowers
3 potatoes
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
4 spoons of parmesan cheese
2 spoons of freshly chopped mint
Preheat the oven to 180¡C. Boil the potatoes in salted water, peel them and mash in a potato ricer. Add the egg, egg yolk, cheese, mint and seasoning. Wash the courgette flowers, pat dry and place on an oiled and lined oven dish. Stuff the flowers with filling and cook in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Stuffed Roman-style
Ingredients:
16 courgette flowers
150 g pecorino romano cheese
8 anchovy fillets
2 eggs
100 g breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
oil for frying
Gently wash and dry the flowers. Finely dice the cheese and cut the anchovy fillets in two. Open the flowers carefully and put the anchovy halves and some cheese into each one. Beat the eggs and season. Dip the flowers in the egg batter and then in the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil and fry the flowers until golden. Dry on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Serve your courgette flowers with a bottle of Roero Arneis, a refreshing dry white wine or, a medium bodied red such as Grignolino d'Asti.