Zucchini Fries

I'm a day late posting, but I have two posts to upload so things even out, right?  This first post is a super easy recipe that is also super delicious.  It's a recipe for zucchini fries that my sister shared with me.  It's a great weeknight veggie that is easy, flavorful, and healthy.

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

• 1 lb zucchini (approximately 3)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 packet Shake & Bake coating mix
• 1 egg

Heat oven to 450F.

Trim the ends of the zucchini.  Cut in half cross-wise, then cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch sticks.

Put cheese and coating mix into shaker bake; shake gently to combine. 

Whisk egg in medium bowl. Add zucchini a few sticks at a time; toss to coat. Use tongs to place 5-6 zucchini sticks in the shaker bag. Close bag and shake to evenly coat.  Spread onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining zucchini.

Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Zucchini Fritters

I'm a big fan of squash and zucchini. Sadly, hubby is not; he once told me disdainfully that he is not eat things from the gourd family. He makes a few exceptions (like my mom's very cheesy squash casserole) but we've rarely eaten any since moving in together. Now that we're living with my dad, the tables have turned. It's 2 to 1, so zucchini and squash are in.
Recipes for zucchini fritters seem to be popping up quite a bit right now, which makes sense with it being in season and so tasty. I've decided I need a better balance between recipes from the internet and my cookbook collection, so I used another recipe from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer. I modified the recipe a bit by halving it, substituting chevre for feta, and cutting out some of the herbs.


Zucchini Fritters
(Nigella Lawson, Forever Summer, p 156)
[my adaptations in brackets]

• 4 zucchini (approximately 1 1/2 lbs) [I used 3]
• 5-6 scallions, finely chopped [I used 3]
• 9 oz feta cheese [4 oz chevre]
• small bunch fresh parsley, chopped [1 tbsp chopped frozen parsley]
• small bunch of fresh mint, plus extra to sprinkle over [omitted]
• 1 tbsp dried mint [omitted]
• 1 tsp paprika [1/2 tsp paprika]
• scant 1 cup all purpose flour [1/2 cup flour]
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten [1 1/2 eggs beaten. I beat the first egg and added it in, then beat the second egg and added half of it]
• olive oil for frying
• 3-4 limes [omitted]

Coarsely grate the zucchini. Spread the little shards out on a tea towel and leave for about 20 minutes to remove excess moisture. [I laid paper towels atop the tea towel]

Put the chopped scallions in a bowl and crumble in the cheese. Stir in the parsley, mints, and paprika. Add the flour and season well with salt and pepper. [Please take into account the saltiness of the cheese.] Gradually add in the beaten egg and mix thoroughly before stirring in the drained, grated zucchini. It will be lumpy.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and drop heaping tablespoons of zucchini mixture into the hot oil, flattening the fritters as you go. Cook approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve on a dish with the chopped limes and mint. [I did not do this.]

I served mine with sour cream, which helped alleviate the fact that I over-salted.

Fettucini with Pancetta and Zucchini

Last night, I took a big risk and served zucchini to the man who says he doesn't eat anything from the "gourd family." I even made him stay out of the kitchen while I was cooking. My body tensed as, while eating, he asked "what's this green stuff?" Surprisingly, he liked it! More than that, he'd eat it again!

I got the recipe from Kirsten's Home Cooking, linked through TasteSpotting of course. I tweaked it a little, within the bounds of the recipe, but all and all I don't think there are many ways in which I would want to change it. I might make it a tad bit saucier. Here's the recipe as I did it.

Fettucini with Pancetta (Bacon) and Zucchini
Ingredients:
1/2 lb fettucini
1 whole zucchini; I sliced it as thin as can be with my mandolin slicer (love) then cut the strips into quarters. They were a tad unmanagable, but they worked.
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
5 slices of bacon, cut into ribbons. I found that it's easiest to cut the bacon raw and stacked as it is in the package. I cut width-wise and slightly diagonally. (That's confusing, I know) Cut it however you want.
Olive oil, salt and pepper as needed
1/3 c heavy cream
Parmesan cheese for grating

Boil a pot of heavily salted water for the fettucini. Cook for 9 minutes - it should be a bit al dente as it will cook a bit more later. While that's going on, you can prep your fettucini and bacon (the recipe calls for pancetta, but I'm poor and don't have any). Once the pasta has cooked, save 1/2 cup of the salted water, then drain the pasta.
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp; it won't take long. Remove the fat from the pan, then add a little bit of olive oil. Saute the garlic and zucchini in it briefly. The zucchini should retain most of its shape and firmness, but some of the pieces will cook faster than others. It's okay.
Add the fettucini. Mine was all stuck together so I tried to detangle it a bit before I added it. Toss to mix the ingredients. Add the 1/2 cup of salted water and let it simmer until the water has mostly evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste, though be careful. The fettucini will absorb a good deal of salt while cooking so you might not need to add any.
Add the cream; let it simmer until thickened a bit.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan.


I thought this was tasty and relatively light for a pasta dish; the cream doesn't really weigh it down at all. Hubby suggested adding more meat next time; I expected some comment along those lines. I might add a bit of grilled chicken next time; much more bacon would overpower the taste. I would also add more garlic.. because I love it.

I served the pasta with some bread from the store (no time at all to make rolls) and a little concoction of mine. I'm on these two different kicks: caramelized onions and red bell peppers. I thought perhaps I would join them. I quartered a bell pepper, splashed a little balsamic on each quarter, then filled them with caramelized onions. The bell pepper was a bit too strong or the onion was just super weak. Hubby wanted more balsamic. Perhaps I'll roast the bell pepper next time; but that will detract from the fresh crunchiness that I love about bell pepper.


Well, I am post-gym, so I need to shower. After that, I shall post the tea eggs. Really this time!