ZUCCHINI GALORE DAY!
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Hey man -
 
Saw your bit on zucchini today. I used to be anti-zucchini & squash but then realized it's all in the preparation. In fact, if you get the following ingredients, I will make you this dish when I come to town! I call it...
 
Pasta Confetti
 
1 zucchini, cut into long thin strips
1 yellow squash, cut into long thin strips
1/8 - 1/4 cup olive oil (best to eyeball this - you want enough to fry the veggies as well as coat the pasta)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 - 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt
pepper
cooked linguine, angel hair, or spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese
 
Use a deep pan or wok and put the oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning in it. Saute the garlic, then add the zucchini and squash strips. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir fry for about 5 minutes. (You want the veggies to be tender-crisp, as if you were making a Chinese stir fry.) Turn down the heat to warm, add the cooked pasta and toss with the veggies until the pasta is completely coated. Add some grated Parmesan cheese and toss again to distribute the cheese evenly.
 
Great side dish that vindicates poor downtrodden Zucchini and his cousin Yellow Squash.

Corinne

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Hey Todd,

I noticed you were wondering about zucchinis so I thought I’d shoot a recipe your way.  It’s really easy and everyone seems to like it (even the people who have squash-phobia).  This recipe is good for a side dish or as an appetizer/finger food kind of dish.  BTW, I live in Savannah, GA but this recipe is one my family uses and they are all from Pittsburgh, PA.  So here goes….

Fried Zucchinis

(Serves about 4 people)

4 medium sized zucchinis (6-8” in length, no thicker than 2” in diameter)

1 or 2 sleeves of saltine crackers (I like Zesta)

3 eggs

All purpose flour

Canola Oil (or whatever you like to fry with)

Wax paper (not necessary but makes clean up much easier)

First, you need to crush the saltines into fine crumbs.  I use a CuisineArt food processor thing with the blade attachment to do this which works great.  If one is not available, you can do it just fine by putting the crackers in a large ziplock bag, or under plastic wrap, and then use a rolling pin to smash them up.

After you’ve got your cracker crumbs, peel your zucchinis with a carrot peeler and then cut them into slices about 1/8 of an inch thick.  You can cut them length wise or into circles, whatever floats your boat.  Next beat/whip the eggs in a bowl with a fork or whisk or whatever you like.  Add a little water when beating the eggs to thin them out if they appear too thick and slimy.  Now you are ready to bread the zucchinis.

Spread the wax paper out on a big workspace.  Make a pile of flour (about a cup to start), put out your bowl of eggs, and then make a pile of your saltine cracker crumbs.  Take your zucchini cuts and cover them lightly with flour, then cover them completely with the egg, and then cover completely with the cracker crumbs which will stick to the egg.  Repeat until all are breaded. 

Now all that is left is to drop them in a preheated fryer (deep fryer is best but a skillet will work) for a few minutes until they get a nice golden brown color.  I use canola oil because it has a pretty light flavor and is a little better for you than the usual veggie oil.  Then just salt them and serve immediately.  They are best served hot out of the fryer because they will get soggy when they cool.  If you have to hold them before they are served, use an oven on low heat to prevent sogginess from setting in.

This breading/frying technique also works great on other squashes, fish, and even pork chops.  Hope everyone enjoys it. 

Thanks!

Erik – Savannah, GA

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Hi tOdd!

I Just got back from visiting mom, and had this. thought I'd send it in
after reading your zucchini story.

Calbasitas con Maiz (Squash with corn)

I can corn (12-16 oz) ( I like the "Niblets" variety by the big green guy
I think)
2-3 green zucchini's (cut in half longwise, then slice1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
2-3 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in skillet over Medium-High heat, then add drained Corn. Stir
and let sauté while you slice up zucchini. (3-5 minutes) Add Zucchini to
pan over corn and cover for a few minutes. Alternate stirring and
covering. Let corn and Zucchini and corn start to brown. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. When it looks done (soft zucchini and corn browning)
top with cheese, cover and remove from heat. Let stand a few minutes and
enjoy!
The veggies turn into this buttery, chewy, cheesy madness. Sounds weird
but soooooo good. Something about the overcooked corn, yummy.


This goes good with Marinated Steak and some flour tortilla on the side!
heres my version of that ....


2 lbs skirt or flank steak
1/2 can coke ( or similar) (diet works too if you must)
2 tbsp of olive oil
Seasonings ( I use garlic salt, dried cilantro, chili powder, and a little
Seasoned salt (like lawry's))
!/2 onion sliced and/or 1 bunch green onion, chopped (optional)

Slice steak against the grain into strips, while still on cutting board
sprinkle with your favorite seasonings then throw into a large ziplock
bag. add soda and olive oil (and onion) and shake up to coat/mix evenly.
Let marinate in fridge, all day if possible, but atleast 30 minutes if you
forget! Grill or Sauté in frying pan (don't add any more oil, just spray
your no-stick pan with some pam) till done.  Something in the coke
tenderizes the meat.  It comes out with a great flavor. this works well
with sliced chicken breasts and pork tenderloin too, or sauté with peppers
and onion for fajitas!

Enjoy!

Linda
Belton, MO

 

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