Handkerchief of Z ucchini and Its Blossoms

When the fi rst small tender zucchini with their blossom still attached arrive at the market in early spring, I rush home to make this dish. The simple combination of two eggs and seasonal vegetables is a very typical dish in Florence. At Ristorante Sostanza, they cook the eggs in a tegamino with half a fried artichoke directly over hot coals. My friend Chiara at Ristorante Cammillo does the same—again with just two eggs—and serves them with a very thin layer of porcini mushrooms or thinly sliced artichoke hearts, and—if they’re in season—fresh white truf f l es. My friend Connie loves this dish, but she doesn’t like runny eggs, so I cook hers a little longer. Her beautiful daughters, Paulina and Fabbiene, like it runny as I do, and we have our own, sopping the eggs up with crusty Italian bread. Yet another friend of mine in Italy, Elizabeth Minchilli, who lives in Rome, caught me on video doing this dish at her beautiful home, and you can see it today in her blog, elizabethminchilliinrome.com. SERVES 2 TO 4 as an antipasto

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

• Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. Cut the zucchini in half crosswise, then in thirds lengthwise, creating triangular-shaped sticks each about 5 inches long.

Step 2

Using a sharp paring knife, make an incision in each of the blossoms and remove the pistil and stem, then thinly slice.

Step 3

• Put the eggs in a small bowl. With the point of a sharp paring knife, cut the yolks in a few places, mixing them lightly but keeping the yolks and the whites somewhat separated. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4

• Heat a 7-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup (125 ml | 115 g) of the olive oil. Once hot, place the zucchini sticks in the pan and fry until al dente, turning so one side is very golden, one is lightly golden, and one not at all, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the zucchini to the paper towel– lined plate and discard the olive oil (it is bitter and will overwhelm the delicate fl avor of the eggs and zucchini).

Step 5

• Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Once it is hot, pour in the broken eggs, starting from the middle and slowly pouring until you get the eggs evenly all the way to the edges. T urn the fl ame of f right away and start adding the zucchini sticks, pointing them toward the center of the egg fazzoletto as radii and making sure they all have dif f erent sides facing up. Sprinkle in the zucchini blossoms, basil, and parsley leaves, and then generously cover with the Parmigiano-Reggiano—especially on the spots where you can see more of the runny egg (the cheese will melt into it and become deliciously runny).

Step 6

• Carefully slide the fazzoletto onto a large round serving dish, cut it into slices, and serve immediately