Spring arrives and nature is filled with colours, as is the kitchen. After the gray winter, we all want to rediscover the vivacity of seasonal fruit and vegetables, but also of more delicious ingredients... like flowers! The flowers most used in the kitchen are those of pumpkins , but the imagination can also bring to the table lesser-known varieties such as marigold flowers, acacia flowers and even rose petals. The important thing is to choose them wisely, selecting only the edible ones suitable for consumption, but also to prepare them delicately so as to respect all their perfume.
Here is a complete spring menu, made up of special recipes.
Appetizer - Baked zucchini flowers
Zucchini flowers have entered the kitchens of Italians with their yellow-orange color that brings joy to just looking at it. They can be harvested both from courgettes and pumpkins, they have a delicate but tasty flavor even when prepared in the utmost simplicity.
Ingredients
- 15 pre-cooked courgette flowers
Preparation
- Place the courgette flowers in a micro-perforated pan protected by parchment paper;
- When the Combi Wave oven is ready, place the pan in the oven;
- Select the recipe and start cooking using Combi Wave for 2:00 minutes;
- Once cooked, salt the courgette flowers and serve them still hot.
Very simple to make, this recipe allows you to savor the courgette flowers without covering their flavor with oils or batters. And it's perfect to start the spring menu with a touch of class.
First course - Trofie pasta with calendula pesto
Trofie are a type of pasta typical of Ligurian cuisine , traditionally prepared at home and easily available today. They go well with pesto, enriched with seasonal vegetables such as green beans.
Ingredients
- 12 marigold flowers
- 200 g of ready pesto
- 400 g of short pasta
- 300 g of green beans
- Salt and oil to taste
Preparation
- Cut the green beans into chunks and blanch them for a couple of minutes;
- Chop 10 calendula flowers (the other 2 will be used to decorate the dish);
- Cook the short pasta with Pastaland Passion for 5 minutes;
- Add two tablespoons of the cooking water and the chopped calendula to the pesto;
- Combine the pasta with the pesto and the green beans;
- Decorate with the remaining intact flowers.
Adding calendula flowers to the more classic trofie al presto means interpreting a traditional recipe with a pinch of originality. A good idea to differentiate yourself from the others with a spring menu full of imagination.
Second – Tagliata with pecorino cheese and acacia flowers
The cut is a must for those who love the taste of meat, given the simplicity of the preparation. But it is a dish to be prepared to perfection: it is important to reach the degree of cooking chosen by the customer and to add only a few ingredients, which can enhance the raw material rather than alter it.
Ingredients
- Acacia flowers
- 350 g of cut
- 50 g pecorino
- Salt, oil and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Place the cut on the Combi Wave IPINIUM plate;
- When the Combi Wave oven is ready, select the recipe and start cooking for 1:10 minutes;
- Cut the pecorino into flakes and place it on the plate;
- Add the tagliata and decorate with acacia flowers.
A curiosity about acacia flowers: they are the ingredient of an excellent sweet syrup and are part of the classic Bolognese fried food.
Dessert - Ice N Roll strawberries and roses
Strawberries and roses cannot be missing from the spring menu: with their unmistakable scents, they express the heart of the new season. When spring gives us these two precious ingredients, it's time to bring them to the table to awaken the senses of your customers and tickle their palate.
Ingredients
- 150 g of strawberries
- 50 g of fruit base
- Rose petals
Preparation
- Blend 150 g of strawberries using Ice N Roll by Techfood;
- Filter the compound obtained;
- Add 50 g of fruit base;
- Perfume with rose petals.
Rose petals have a very intense aroma, but the flavor is much more subtle. In the gastronomic field they can also be used as a decorative element in a menu that makes room for other seasonal ingredients.
Flower-based recipes for a spring menu: why include them in the menu?
Today we have proposed 4 fresh and colorful spring recipes. But why introduce edible flowers on the menu? Because it's a trend that's depopulating thanks to top chefs and TV programs: your most attentive customers know the trends and think that the right place should always surprise them with something more.
And if you want to interpret the concept of the menu also in the beverage proposal, watch this article : you can find out how to prepare lively spring cocktails .