Zucchini Flower Frittata

The zucchini are flowering again and I have a bounty of flowers and baby zucchini in my garden.  I plant the zucchini primarily for their flowers and any zucchini that manage to grow are an added bonus.  So Sunday morning, with a houseful of guests, zucchini became the star ingredient for brunch.  

Zucchini Flower Frittata

8 fresh eggs from the market
4 or 5 zucchini flowers
2 or 3 baby zucchini, less than 2"long
1 small onion, about 2 tablespoons when chopped
a handful of fresh herbs from the garden
1/4 cup of freshly coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/4 cup of olive oil

Serves 4 to 6 

Break eggs into a large bowl and whisk eggs until smooth.  Wash flowers, making sure that no bugs are hiding inside the flowers, and dry.  Remove pestle from the inside of male flowers.  Cut baby zucchini in half length wise.  Finely chop onion.  Clean herbs and coarsely chop.  Dip the flowers in the egg mixture, then dredge in flour.  

Heat oil in heavy cast iron pan, until very hot, but not smoking. Fry dredged zucchini flowers, until golden, on all sides.  Remove flowers and rest on paper towels to remove excess oil.  Turn down heat on stove, remove most of oil from bottom of pan, and saute onions until soft, and baby zucchini until until golden.  Mix half of herbs into remaining whisked eggs.  Turn oven broiler on. 

Spread onion and zucchini mixture evenly over bottom of pan.  Add eggs, arrange zucchini flowers in eggs, and sprinkle the remaining herbs on top.  Cook over medium heat until eggs are firm around edges.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and put on middle rack of oven to cook top half of eggs.  Watch eggs, and when the  eggs puff up they are done.  Do not over cook.  Remove from oven and serve either hot or at room temperature.