Name: Woodcut’s zucchini flowers, brown rice, tomato, vine leaves and yoghurt
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 20 large zucchini flowers; 80 ml (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil; 10 preserved vine leaves (see note), rinsed; 500 gm ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated; Yoghurt and dill sprigs, to serve; Filling; 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil; 1 white onion, chopped; 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 150 gm organic brown rice, cooked; 1 spring onion, finely chopped; ¼ cup each finely chopped mint, flat-leaf parsley and dill; 2 tsp dried Greek oregano; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; Dill Oil; 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil; 1/3 cup (firmly packed) dill sprigs

“As a young chef, I worked at an Italian trattoria in Brisbane,” says chef Ross Lusted. “The chef, Danny, was Greek would cook us his traditional dishes for family meal. One day, a relative of the owner turned up with a basketful of bright yellow flowers … Danny served us the flowers, filled with rice, plump as pillows and wrapped in vine leaves. It was like nothing I had ever eaten before.”

Ingredients

20 large zucchini flowers

80 ml (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

10 preserved vine leaves (see note), rinsed

500 gm ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated

Yoghurt and dill sprigs, to serve

Filling

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

150 gm organic brown rice, cooked

1 spring onion, finely chopped

¼ cup each finely chopped mint, flat-leaf parsley and dill

2 tsp dried Greek oregano

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Dill Oil

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

1/3 cup (firmly packed) dill sprigs

Method

For filling, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic; stirring occassionally, until softened (3-5 minutes). Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl with cooked rice. Remove zucchini from flowers and coarsely grate 10 (you should have 180gm). Squeeze out excess liquid from zucchini and add to rice with onion, herbs, 1 tsp black pepper and zest. Season with 1 tsp sea salt and mix well.

Carefully open flowers and discard stamen. Fill each zucchini flower with about 2 tbsp filling, twist petals over filling to enclose then place on plate. Repeat until all flowers are filled.

Preheat oven to 200˚C. Drizzle base of 30cm round ovenproof baking dish with oil, then line base with half vine leaves. Top with grated tomato and 300ml water; place zucchini flowers on top, side by side, with stalks facing middle of dish, with one or two flowers in the centre. Cover with remaining vine leaves then an ovenproof saucepan lid to keep them weighed down. Loosely cover with foil and bake until tender (35-40 minutes).

For dill oil, combine ingredients in a small blender and blend until combined.

Serve zucchini flowers with yoghurt, topped with dill sprigs and drizzled with dill oil.

Preserved or pickled vine leaves are available from select supermarkets and delicatessens. To use, rinse well and pat dry with paper towel.
Note

Ross Lusted

Photography by James Moffatt Photographer

Styling by Lucy Busuttil Stylist and Recipe Developer

Lucy Busuttil is an experienced food stylist and editor who has worked with leading print and broadcast brands in the food media industry in Australia for over 15 years. She also has a strong foundation as a leading chef for Michelin-starred restaurants in UK, US, France and Australia. After working as a chef for 15 years for some of the world's top restaurants, Lucy transitioned into the food media. Her vast experience and understanding of food make her styling and recipe writing uniquely accessible to her clients and their target audiences. Lucy is currently based in Sydney and works as a freelance food stylist and recipe writer, focusing on editorial, digital, and advertising content for luxury lifestyle brands. She curates beautiful editorial videos on food and drink and styles for editorial-leading food brands such as Gourmet Traveller and Delicious, as well as advertising and promotional content for some of the most renowned names in cuisine in the country.

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Ingredients

Method

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