A couple of weeks ago we prepared for hurricane Sandy, which is an unusual occurrence up here in Maine. Back home in South Carolina, we were always somewhat prepared for hurricanes. Up here, not so much. Since we were mostly going to get high winds and the chance of power outages was high, we brought in some things from outside and then I made sure the house was clean. It’s amazing how fast a house can get dirty when you don’t have power! We are fortunate to have a generator, but really it’s the last thing you want to do.
After I got all of my chores done, I was hungry. While the wind really began to howl I decided to make these zucchini sticks. I wanted something warm and tasty and I had my last large zucchini that was picked from my garden just days before to use. While I typically make these with a little bit of this and a little of that, this recipe is the basic go to. From here, you can really switch it up to your liking. Add some more herbs or add a little heat with paprika or chipotle pepper. As always, don’t skip sweating the zucchini first. Zucchini has a lot of moisture and if you want them to have a nice crisp you’ll want to drain as much out as possible. If you decide to fry these sticks, you definitely want to do this otherwise you will have a large oil splash and the breading will come off.
Baked Zucchini Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini, cut into sticks
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Place the zucchini sticks into a colander that is sitting in your sink. Sprinkle the sticks with the salt and allow to sweat for one hour. After one hour, wrap them up in a paper towel or clean dish cloth and give them a gentle squeeze to get any last bit of moisture out.
Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. (If you have a wire rack that fits into your baking sheet use that, this is my preferred method as it doesn’t require turning the sticks halfway through cooking.)
In a small dish, beat the egg. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and seasoning in a shallow dish.
One at a time, dip a zucchini stick into the beaten egg and then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the zucchini stick onto the baking sheet and continue until finished. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the zucchini sticks halfway through if you are not using a wire rack.
Serve warm with ranch dressing, marinara sauce, or a nice garlic aioli.
Source: The Way to His Heart
