For some reason every time I see zucchini at the Farmer’s market I must pickup a few. I put them on the grill, or saute them with tomatoes, garlic and some parmesan cheese for a quick side dish or tossed with some pasta. There’s lots to do with these yummy squash, but my favorite thing to do is to fry them. I’m talking about the crunchy slices of fried veggies you can find at an Italian restaurant. My mom used to make the fried version using Kentucky Cornel Seasoned flour, eggs, parmesan cheese. She couldn’t get them done fast enough to keep up with all 3 of us . In my version, you can keep them warn in the oven and serve them all at once. I’ve found a way to get the same tastes without all the breading and frying and they might even be slightly better for you but that’s wasn’t really my point. I was just looking to speed up the process and make it a little easier. Mission accomplished with this one!
Shred up the zucchini using a regular grater. This is one medium zucchini I used for this recipe. Toss in a mixing bowls and sprinkle it with a decent sprinkle of salt. This will help the zucchini start separating the water out. You can do this is a fine mesh sieve too if you don’t mind extra dishes. I just push the zucchini aside and tip the bowl to allow the liquid to drain to one side. I just use a spoon to get the water out. I gave this about an hour to drain. Grate in about 1-2 tablespoons of red or sweet onion, totally your preference if you want to add it. Mix in 3/4 cup of seasoned flour, and add up to 1/4 more depending on how wet your zucchini is. Your batter should be a little thinner than pancake batter. Add 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic (optional), 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and one beaten egg. Stir it to combine.
Time to sauté! I put 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and the oil has heated up, I use a medium cookie scoop to make sure the cakes are about the same size. (I sometimes make a test cake to see how my seasoning is) You can use a smaller scoop if you want to make these smaller as an appetizer for a party. You cook these a little like pancakes. Wait for them to get golden brown around the edges before you flip them over. As they finish browning, keep them on a cookie sheet in a warm oven while you cook the rest. This should make 12-15 cakes in this size. Add more butter and olive oil as needed between batches.
All that’s left is the dusting of parmesan cheese. Yes, I just use this stuff in the green jar for a weeknight snack here at home. If I have a good hunk of parm hanging around I use that too. You can also make a tomato and basil relish with a little parmesan cheese mixed into it. I have been known to reheat these and put an egg on them for breakfast too. Enjoy!
Amy’s Kitchen 