Deep Fried Courgette Flowers with Tomatoes & more Courgettes Recipe

Recipe:
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, grated cheese, half the chopped herbs and season well with salt and black pepper.

Gently prise open the courgette flowers and using a teaspoon, carefully insert a spoonful of the ricotta mixture into the flower and once full, close the petals back again.

Place a pan over a moderate heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook for a minute or two without colouring, then add the diced courgettes and tomatoes.

Cook over a moderate–high heat for around 5 minutes for the flavours to concentrate and the mixture to thicken. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and add the remaining chopped herbs. Spread the mixture out into an ovenproof dish and put to one side.
Preheat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan.

To make the batter, whisk the egg, flour and bicarb together in a wide bowl. Gradually pour in the iced water, whisking continuously, until you have a smooth batter the consistency of double cream. Set to one side.
Place the tomato and courgettes sauce in the dish in the oven to keep warm.

In a deep pan, heat your oil to 180°C ensuring it reaches no more than 1/3 of the way up the sides (a good method is to drop in a spot of batter, which should rise to the surface and begin to brown). Do not overfill the pan and have a slotted spoon to hand.

Dip the stuffed courgettes in the batter and swiftly and carefully drop into the hot oil and fry for about 2 minutes. Flip them carefully and work in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan. Fry until crisp and very lightly golden, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Remove the courgette and tomato sauce from the oven and lay the fried and stuffed courgette flowers onto the tomato sauce before grating over generously with some additional parmesan to serve.