Zucchini Recipes

My CSA baskets this summer had an abundance (perhaps an OVER abundance) of zucchini.  So I’ve tried a lot of new zuke recipes.  I’ve found a couple that I’d make even if I have to buy the zucchini!

First is a quiche that is a bit different.  The crust is made with brown rice.  I like the change up very much.  

From http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/08/herbed-zucchini-and-feta-quiche-with.html  This site is a treasure of great recipes.  Well worth looking at.

Herbed Zucchini and Feta Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

(Makes 6+ servings)

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/4 cup gruyere, grated

1 egg

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 cups zucchini (grated, squeezed and drained)

1/4 cup herbs (such as dill, mint, parsley, chopped)

2 green onions (chopped)

1 cup feta (crumbled)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix the rice, cheese and egg in a bowl.

 

2. Press the rice mixture into a pie plate, about 1/4 inch thick.

 

3. Bake in a preheated 450F oven until the edges and bottom just start turning golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.

 

4. Mix the eggs, milk, zucchini, dill, mint, green onions, feta, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

 

5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.

 

6. Bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown and set in the center, about 30-35 minutes.

The second recipe is for oven fried zucchini sticks. 

From http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/07/28/baked-zucchini-sticks-and-sweet-onion-dip-that-bloomin-zucchini/   The blog is full of photos on how she did it.  Plus she has a recipe for an onion dip to go with the sticks.  Her recipe directions are in a folksy “this is how you do it” sort of way.

Crispy Baked Zucchini Sticks

First, find yourself 3 medium-size zucchini, about 9″ to 10″ long. 

Cut each zucchini into 3″ sticks about the diameter of your finger. Cutting each zuke into 9 sticks lengthwise, and then cutting into 3″ lengths, works well. 

Place the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Let them drain for 1 hour or longer. 

Rinse them thoroughly; you want to get rid of any excess salt. Then pat them dry. 

Next up: the bread and cheese coating. But first, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spray the parchment with olive oil. 

Combine the following: 

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs  

[I used lemon Panko crumbs and didn't add any other seasoning.  It was quite good.] 

Mix until thoroughly combined.

Beat 2 large eggs; or pour 1/2 cup egg substitute into a dish. You’re going to dip each zucchini stick in the egg…

…then roll it in the crumbs. 

Warning! Warning! Do as I say, not as I did here.  I figured, heck, just lay ‘em all in the crumbs and toss ‘em around, right? Never mind this coating one-by-one stuff…  WRONG.  About midway through, the crumbs had gotten so much egg splashed onto them they were sticking together in a solid mass. So I had to add a lot more Panko, and that still didn’t really help.

Place the sticks on the prepared baking sheet. 

Bake the sticks for about 12 minutes, until they’re starting to brown. Remove from the oven, and turn them over; you may actually need to do this one by one, or you may be able to turn several at a time using a spatula. Bake for an additional 12 to 16 minutes or so, until golden brown and crisp.

These baking times don’t match those in the recipe; I realize that. Bottom line, bake until the sticks are a speckled golden brown…

Teri's Note:  After I rinsed the salt I realized I was out of eggs.  Not wanting to go to the store I laid the zucchini sticks on several layers of paper towels and rolled them up.  I then placed this in an open plastic bag in the fridge.  Next day when I had more eggs I finished the recipe.  The sticks had lost quite a bit of moisture but I decided to cook them up anyway.  They turned out fantastic.  Very firm, not a bit soggy as I have had zucchini sticks come out before.