When you're an amateur gardener and plant 12 zucchini plants supposing they won't all survive (they will, they're very hardy) and you end up with more zucchini than you know what to do with, you start getting creative. Real creative.
Yesterday I searched around for zucchini recipes. Besides simply steaming it with a few seasonings, I've made
zucchini bread/
cupcakes. I found recipes for
zucchini quiche,
zucchini pancakes,
zucchini cookies, and
zucchini fries. I thought I would try my hand at zucchini fries. They're baked so these fries are a pretty healthy alternative to potato fries.
 |
1. Mix one egg, 2 T. milk, garlic powder, and parsley or oregano or basil. |
 |
2. Mix together Italian breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. |
 |
3. Slice zucchini into fry-like strips. I cut up three zucchini and it made two pans of fries.
I also peeled the zucchini (not real easy.) |
|
|
Don't worry about preheating your oven until you've completed these first three steps.
Prep took me 30-45 min. It's probably much faster with 2+ people.
Dip each zucchini fry in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs mixture, then arrange on the pan. I got impatient and just dumped the egg mixture over the zucchini and poured the breadcrumbs over it all and tried mixing it up by hand. Don't do this! It was way too moist and the breadcrumbs did not stick to the zucchini very well. They smelled so delicious though!
 |
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn fries and bake 5 more minutes. |
You can serve these with marinara sauce or ranch dressing. (They're good plain too.) So it didn't turn out really pretty, but they taste great! When I turned them after 10 minutes, I sprinkled more Parmesan cheese over the top. Since they didn't coat really well, my fries were a little moist and I'm eating them for lunch today with a fork, more like a zucchini casserole. At least I know what to do differently next time to make my zucchini fries look pretty.
POST-LUNCH UPDATE: These were
not very good reheated in the microwave. The breadcrumbs were all mushy. I suppose all fries are best straight from the oven … I could see zucchini working well in a Thanksgiving stuffing because that's kind of what they're like the second time around. Hopefully I will develop and perfect this recipe so in the future my fries come out crisp and not looking like trash.
Bon Appétit,
Okay, I must share this with you because you have way too many zucchini. Everybody I've ever fed this to loves this recipe and swears there are apples in it and not zucchini. :)
ReplyDeleteLoves,
Ann
Zucchini Crisp
Ingredients:
4 c. flour 2 c. sugar
½ tsp. salt 1 c. margarine
8 c. zucchini, seeded, peeled, cubed 2/3 c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar ¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
To prepare pastry, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in margarine until crumbly. Press half the mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Save other half for later. Bake at 375° for about 10 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, cook the zucchini in lemon juice until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the sugar, nutmeg, and only 1 tsp. of the cinnamon. Simmer for about a minute, then add ½ c. of the saved pastry mixture. Simmer until this thickens, stirring constantly. Let cool. Pour the zucchini mixture over the prebaked crust. Mix ½ tsp. of cinnamon with the rest of the pastry mixture in a bowl, then sprinkle it over the pie. Bake at 375° for 35 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serves: 34 Serving Size: ½ cup
Calories: 175 Carbs (gm): 30 Protein (gm): 2 Fat (gm): 6 Fiber (gm): 1