I cook with it raw – well, of course I do – I’m not buyin’ cooked zucchini – I mean, I create dishes where the zucchini is served as nature intended, and I create dishes where it’s kinda cooked and dishes where it’s as cooked as can be – so where to start? How about thick crispy rounds of zucchini with a slight bite both in the zucchini and the coating? With this simple, yet swanky approach, you can’t miss, I promise. The texture’s in tact, the flavour’s subtle and if you want your kids to start eating more vegetables – they won’t even know what hit them!
Sliced into thickish rounds, the zucchini goes for a quick dip in an egg bath, allowed to drip-dry for a second, before heading to the breading station, for a quick roll in the proverbial hay, before a flash in a hot pan, to a golden, crispy crunchiness – and this won’t take long. Serve right out of the pan, at room temperature for a snack, layered in a pita pocket with other garden mates and a zesty dressing, or as a base for heartier fare or, or, or – crispy zucchini rounds will soon become an everyday occurence – like the sun coming and going, or that breathing thing that we do, you know – zucchini will soon be added to the ever-growing list of things you simply cannot live without – because it’s been on my list for years!
click here to jump down to the zucchini cornmeal bites recipe
1. Slice up the zucchini into rounds, a little thicker than this is ideal. Whip up the eggs & water. and gather the breading ingredients.
2. Put the egg mixture in a shallow pan for easy bathing and get ready to bathe & bread.
3. Into the bath they go.
4. Turn them over to coat.
5. Allow the excess egg to drip back in the bowl before moving them into the breading mixture.
6. Turning them over to coat completely.
7. Just lay them on a plate until you’re ready to turn on the heat.
8. They can be refrigerated at this point (if so, put them in one layer with waxed paper between each layer) to cook later or turn up the heat and get ready to cook.
9. Give your hot pan a couple of swirls of olive oil before laying them down to brown.
10. Turn and admire your golden rounds.
11. They’re getting there.
12. They’re there! There – season with salt immediately.
zucchini cornmeal bites
1. Cut into 1/4-1/2″ slices:
- 3-5 medium zucchini (or as many as you want to make)
- 2-3 eggs
- splash of water
- 1/2 cup flour
- 11/2 cups cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- freshly cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 2-3 tbsps. olive oil
5. Fry the zucchini rounds until they’re golden brown, about 2-3 minutes a side. Transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat.
get creative
- add a load of grated parmesan to the breading mixture
- cut into quarters and toss with mixed greens
- cut into quarters and toss with your favourite pasta, olive oil, garlic & parmesan
- lay over the top of your next mac & cheese to add crunch to the topping
- serve with any kind of dip or simply squeeze a wedge of lemon over before serving
- generously sprinkle the final platter with grated parmesan cheese
- season the egg mixture with red pepper flakes or hot sauce
- this method works equally well with summer squash & eggplant
potato waffle fries
chicken cooked whole in a crockpot
chocolate almond bacon bark
cake with olive oil, almonds & citrus
roasted red pepper purée
Looks really good!!! *:o)