These came from my section of The Family Plot. The one on the right is about the size you find in the supermarket on any given day. The one on the left? It dwarfs a butternut squash. At a whopping 5 pounds, 5 ounces it’s bigger than some newborns. And I’m not talking premies. Folklore says the cabbage patch is the source for babies, but this bambino came from a singe zucchini mound. My sister planted four. I fear for our sanity.
Just as I was figuring out what to do with the six pounds of bland squash, these arrived.
And the other day? My garden produced a rather impressive 3-pounder. Clearly, I should check the plant more often.
So what did I do? I made soup. A double batch. That took care of the big zucchini.
Then I made a big loaf of zucchini bread. That took care of half the little ones. And with the rest? I made fries. Oven-baked, but fries nonetheless.
So, what will I do with the 3 pounds still sitting on my counter? Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve got plans for that. Hot, spicy, finger-licking plans. In the meantime, here’s how to make zucchini fries. They’re crunchy and tasty. Even my zucchini-hating husband didn’t mind them. Let’s face it. The vegetable didn’t win him over. It was the crumbs and the dip. The zucchini was just an inoffensive delivery system. But when it comes to getting Andrew to eat zucchini, I take any victory I can get.
Got any recipe suggestions? Let me know. I’ll need all the help I can get!
These zucchini fries are actually baked, making them an easy and healthy way to use up the zucchini bounty.
Scale
Ingredients
1pound zucchini, cut into lengths
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
1 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
Optional
tzatziki, for dipping
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Wash and cut zucchini into fingers about 3-inches long. If the zucchini is large, remove the seeds and core first.
Mix the flour, salt, and black pepper together in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs with the water in a second shallow dish. Combine the panko, parmesan and dill a third shallow dish. Arrange the dishes in this order: flour / egg / panko.
Toss the zucchini slices in the flour, dip each slice in the egg mixture and then roll it in the panko crumbs. Place the breaded zucchini wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and the crumbs are crispy. Timing depends on how thickly you sliced the zucchini.
Go into the garden and inspect zucchini plants for more offerings. Pick plants before they are the size of the cat.
Notes
Panko crumbs are usually found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. If you can’t find panko crumbs, substitute crushed corn flakes, crushed melba toast or regular dried bread crumbs.
