Q Our Italian friends once made fried zucchini flowers. Do you have a recipe, and which flowers do you buy?
A Because squash flowers keep getting good press, several different kinds may turn up. You want zucchini flowers, not other squash blossoms that can be bitter. Buy the pristine male blooms (females remain attached to the squash) with no signs of bruising, wilting or wrinkling, and use them the same day if possible.
Start out with pan-fried. They truly shine with this treatment. After eating your fill, you could do them tempura-style, or sauté them into frittatas, stuff them or manipulate the buds any way you want.
But beginning with this recipe will have Italian grandmothers from Sicily to the Alps applauding you.
An ocean of choices Q A long time ago, you interviewed a cook who did ocean vegetables and seaweed. Can you remember who it was and if any written material was available?
A You are recalling cookbook author Jill Gusman. She did a book called "Vegetables From the Sea: Everyday Cooking With Sea Vegetables." One point she makes in the book is not to use that washed-up seaweed you are tempted by. Evidently, there are pollution concerns. But do check out the book, because there are so many good recipes and sound information.
Simple syrup solution Q Perfectionist that I am, I need to know what simple syrup is so it's possible to make what my partner calls the ideal iced tea. She can't stand how granulated sugar never melts into the liquid and insists that true iced tea is served with simple syrup.
A Demanding partners aside, she's right about the syrup solving the non-dissolving-sugar problem with iced drinks. Here is how to make simple syrup. I like to add the shredded zest of a lemon for a little kick. Another flavoring is hot chile, but that takes us down a totally different path.
