Thursday, July 30, 2009

Baked zucchini fries

4 weeks into our weekly CSA box adventure...

csa box, week 4

D has developed an intense kale addiction. I have officially overdosed on cucumbers and feel slightly ill at the thought of them (I'll be over it soon, I'm sure). We are swimming in summer squash and looking for ways to use them up.

zucchini fries

Fries are always a good bet. I opt for the oven baked version, out of respect for my waistline and fear of getting splattered with hot oil. There are a couple of key factors in successful oven fries - light breading, high heat, and plenty of breathing room. If you crowd your baking dish, you'll end up with soggy fries. I usually bake them in small batches, even though it's bit more tedious.

zucchini fries
Baked zucchini fries

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
Pinch of salt
Pepper to taste
3 or so zucchini, washed well, unpeeled
1 egg

: Toss everything except the zucchini in the food processor and blend it well. Alternatively, finely mince the garlic and use well grated Parmesan and just mix everything together. Put the mixture into a wide, shallow bowl and set aside.

: Slice the zucchini into fry shaped pieces of similar size (but don't worry about being too fussy).

: Beat the egg in a wide, shallow dish. Toss the zucchini pieces, a few at a time, in the egg wash and then shake them off a bit and toss them in the breading. Lay the pieces on a baking dish, making sure none of them touch. You'll probably need to do a couple of batches.

: Bake in a 475F oven for about 20 - 30 minutes, turning just once. Fries should be browned and crisp when finished.
In the winter, I use this same recipe to make sweet potato fries. You really can't go wrong. I don't actually measure the breading ingredients. I just sort of pour and toss everything into the food processor and it always turns out fine. With the exception of the time I accidentally dumped a pile of pepper in there, and even then, we still gobbled up the fries while drinking lots of water. They're very forgiving.

28 comments:

  1. These look delicious! I can't wait to try some of the yummy recipes you post. The pictures are wonderful too - thanks!

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  2. these look so good - have to try them. love your new blog look too!

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  3. omg- I love our CSA-we're lucky to have them here. I'm going to make these. Now, what should I make with the giant cabage that we got in our box yesterday?

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  4. I totally have a kale addiction. I have to pace myself! Those zuke fries look very fine indeed, maybe I can now convince my bf, that they're not gross.

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  5. I love your new blog look. very clean, very organised. way to go!

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  6. wow these look fantastic and a healthy alternative to fries!

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  7. I'm dreading the day I go to the supermarket to pick up zucchini and it's gone, out of season. It's so much more delicious than it looks.

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  8. Looks delicious. I tried to make some sweet potatoe fries earlier and overloaded the pan. Now I understand why they weren't crisp. Thanks for the tips.

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  9. Oh my goodness, I will be making these for dinner tonight! Sounds so yummy - and easy to make! Thanks!

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  10. Oh boy, we've got a major zucchini surplus from our boxes too! these look awesome--a must try!

    also tasty is ina's zucchini gratin: http://tinyurl.com/m96y9r

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  11. I have the same bowl as you, me thinks.

    And yep, these are going along side our burgers tomorrow night. So thrilled!

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  12. Those would make a lovely late night snack at the moment.
    : ) Yum!

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  13. Seeing what you get in your wonderful CSA box makes me annoyed that I'm just hearing about it now and have missed out for this summer.

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  14. I haven't tried leaving them far apart on the baking sheet. That will be my next attempt!

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  15. Ooo, I love the idea of baking these! I've tried frying them only to have a big icky mess. Thanks!

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  16. Those look delicious, I am definitely going to have to try this. I always do the same thing with baking for eggplant and this looks so good!

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  17. these sound so yummy. I shall save this recipe and make it when summer comes around here.

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  18. These look wonderful, and so versatile for use with other veggies too! I'm just about to have a zucchini explosion from my garden, can't wait to try these out.

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  19. These sound fabulous... bookmarking this now!

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  20. oh ohh! i love zucchini fries. these look so great, and i love that they're baked.

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  21. I made these the other night. I have to tell you they did not turn out as beautiful(I didn't put the dry ingred in the food processor), but they were delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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  22. Looks really, really yummy! My friends are crazy for zucchini so i'll have to make this soon.

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  23. I used all the summer squash we got in *our* csa with this recipe last night. Yummy. Thanks!!!

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  24. I just made these tonight... OMG.. AWESOME!! Thank You

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