Etta filippone

If you’ve ever wondered what to do with all those squash flowers that sprout in the garden or are sold in markets at this time of year, Ray Filippone has one answer. Filippone makes a summer pizza topped with the flowers from zucchini, yellow squash and even pumpkin plants that the rest of us might enjoy during these dog days of summer. “It’s a nice way to enjoy the flowers without putting them in batter and deep-frying them,” he said.

Instead, his Squash Flower Pizza is brightened by both their color and flavor.

It makes a nice appetizer or a substitution for bread as a side dish.

“It’s also easy and that’s the good part,” said Filippone, who lives in Providence’s North End.

His mother Etta used to make this pizza, learning it from her mother, Rosalia Della Valle, who he remembers going into the garden early in the morning to pick the squash flowers, making sure to take only the male flowers, not the females. “You can tell the difference,” he says, “because the female flowers have a little bulb under them from which the squash will grow.”

He also sometimes makes a pizza with slices of zucchini on top.

“When my mother passed away I found several envelopes marked ‘Excellent Recipes — Do Not Throw Out.’ Inside were many of her favorite family recipes, each one named for the person who had given it to her. A favorite at this time of year was Anna Filippone’s Squash Pizza. I found six handwritten copies of Anna’s Pizza, each marked ‘Good.’ ” Anna was an aunt.

For either pizza, start with store-bought dough — he likes Scialo Brothers Bakery of Federal Hill — and then add your flowers and you are on your way to a perfect summer pizza.

Here are the recipes.

SQUASH FLOWER PIZZA

1 pound pizza dough

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sliced onion

20 squash flowers

2 cloves minced garlic

Grated Romano cheese

Chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano and chives)

Pinch salt and pepper

Allow dough to rise. Butter a rectangular pan and shape the dough into it.

Remove the little green septals at base of flower. Rinse flowers to remove any dirt or insects. Dry on paper towels (they dry quickly).

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onions. Place the flowers in one at a time. Lightly cook them 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove onions and flowers, one at time, to a plate.

Place olive oil from skillet in a small bowl and add garlic, salt and pepper. With a pastry brush, paint the pricked dough with the olive oil mixture.

Bake at 420 degrees for 12 to 16 minutes until the bottom is lightly cooked to near crispness. Add cooked flowers and onions to the top. Add the grated cheese and brush edges with the olive oil mixture. Place back in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes until desired crispness. Add chopped herbs and some additional grated cheese.

ANNA’S ZUCCHINI PIZZA

1 pound pizza dough

2 zucchinis

1 small sliced onion

Olive oil for sautéing

1 clove minced garlic

2 eggs

Chopped parsley

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Slice zucchini, not too thin, and sauté with sliced onions in olive oil.

Spread the dough in pan and place cooked zucchini in rows and onion. Brush the garlic on top. Beat the eggs and brush over zucchini.

Bake at 375 until the dough is cooked. With 5 minutes left to bake, add grated cheese. Add parsley when baked.