The Zucchini Flowers: Almost a good idea

Well, as usual, my visit to the grocery store involved experimentation.  You see, I'm not one of those "stick-to-the-list" types.  In fact, I have no list.  This poses many a problem for the family and the refrigerator inventory control system (what, you don't have one?).  For example, we are pretty much always missing a basic staple- like eggs, milk, butter, meals...  In lieu of such basic boredom, I prefer to stock the fridge chock full of good intentions!  That has to count for something.  Oh, and today, I added a $5.99 package of zucchini flowers to that empty shelf in the middle...where the basics are supposed to go.  They just looked so pretty and exotic and I couldn't help but wonder, "what the hell are these things"?  Most customers see zucchini flowers and run, but not I.  I see opportunity and hassle and kids hating me and more hassle and bad moods on the horizon...so I threw them in the cart.  I of course asked the heavily mustachioed produce man what he thought of these little edible blossoms and he gave me a comforting shrug of the shoulders followed by a reassuring, "beats me".  Once home, I did what any quality chef does when presented with a foreign ingredient- I Googled it! Turns out, Italians in the south of Italy love this late-summer cast-off from the prized zucchini plant and refine its flavours with a heavy dredging of batter and a wholesome deep-frying.  Yum.  Full disclosure here: I've never deep-fried in my life.  But when in Rome!  Assuming Rome is in the south...

So I fixed myself up a flour (whole wheat of course!), club soda, dash of salt type of batter and lacking a deep fryer, added an inch of vegetable oil to the bottom of my beloved Le Creuset casserole dish.  Lit the ol' gas stove and waited for the kitchen magic.  Twenty minutes of toiling later, voila!  A hit!  Crispy on the outside and flavourful on the inside, with a sprinkle of sea salt, I have a somewhat impressive and original appetizer!  Wyatt called them cheddar and broccoli in a fish stick (that alarms me...on many levels).  On the down side, my house now smells like one of those greasy-spoons that operate out of double-wide mobile home off the highways of the north.  But, the photos do not lie!  I give it two slightly grease-splattered thumbs up!