courgette flower, a southern treasure with a thousand flavors

Zucchini flowers, a treasure of the Côte d’Azur, can be eaten before they even bear fruit. They are grown in greenhouses at the end of winter, then in the open field in spring. Jean-Charles Orso, vegetable producer, opts for cultivation along a string. He even made it his specialty.

Every morning, chef Alain llorca comes to choose the most beautiful specimens. In his kitchens, he unveils a family recipe for stuffed zucchini. Provide 150 g of meat, 80 g of breadcrumbs, 60 g of parmesan, an egg, 60 g of new onions, five cloves of fresh garlic as well as basil, thyme and parsley. The most delicate step is that of filling the flowers. “They have to be pretty, puffy”says the chef. When it’s time to sit down to eat, Jean-Charles Orso is won over. “This are things that push us to try to do better on the other side. It is so valued (…) that we feel empowered upstream“, explains the latter.