Breaded Zucchini

This past weekend my daughters and I were invited to a wedding celebration for our cousin Anthony and his beautiful new bride, Amanda. Anthony and Amanda were actually married back in December in a breathtaking outdoor ceremony out on the west coast. So this was a celebration for family and friends who live here on the east coast. Of course, the biggest highlight of the day was honoring the new bride and groom while also spending time and celebrating with our amazing family. Being the foodie enthusiast that I am, I was taking note of the many dishes that were served to us. Luckily, this trait has also carried on to my daughters. We weren’t very far into the appetizer course when both Jules and Ava asked if we could try making the crispy and delicious breaded zucchini that we all just finished scarfing up. Which brings us to today’s post!

Breaded zucchini is a tasty and nutritious dish that is very simple to make. Just a few basic ingredients are all you really need: zucchini, breadcrumbs, eggs for egg batter and some seasoning. My breadcrumb of choice for this dish is Panko. Unlike traditional breadcrumbs, Panko is a bit more flaky and airy, which gives more of a crispy texture to the breaded food. Panko also holds up well when fried, however I prefer to bake as often as I can as opposed to frying, and this dish bakes up very well!

Before we get into the recipe, I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks when using Panko. I like to add grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to the breadcrumbs for a nice, nutty flavor. For every cup of Panko, I add 1/4 cup of grated cheese. I also like to add additional seasonings. Italian seasoning and garlic powder are always perfect seasonings of choice. For this dish, I decided to use Everything Bagel Seasoning. It has a nice combination of onion, garlic and sea salt flavoring, along with the texture of poppy and sesame seeds. If you don’t have Everything Bagel Seasoning on hand, a mixture of Italian seasoning, garlic and/or onion powder, or your favorite seasoning of choice will work just fine.

When breading with a Panko mixture, I find that it works best to use the mixture in small batches as opposed to dipping the battered food into one big bowl of the breadcrumb mixture. Because Panko is more crispy and airy than traditional breadcrumbs, I find that they can become soggy and mushy when combined with too much of the wet batter. Think rice crispies after they have been sitting in a bowl of milk for a while. What I like to do is mix up the breadcrumbs and seasonings in one bowl, then add it to another bowl in portions. Just enough to use what you need, adding more as you need it. This will help prevent the breadcrumbs from turning into a pile of mush that will not stick to the battered food. Patting the food dry with a paper towel before battering and adding breadcrumbs is also a good idea to help make the breadcrumbs stick and stay crunchy.

BREADED ZUCCHINI

Makes about 24 pieces

3 small zucchini, sliced length-wise about 1/4 inch thick. You can keep the skin on or peel it ahead time. Keeping the skin intact will give a bit more firmness to the slices. You can also slice the zucchini into round chip shapes if you prefer.
salt for seasoning
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning (or your choice of seasonings, such as Italian seasoning, garlic or onion powder)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the Panko, grated cheese and seasonings in a bowl. Add the breadcrumb mixture in small batches into another bowl, which you will use for applying the breadcrumbs.

Pat the sliced zucchini dry to remove any excess moistrure. Lightly season the sliced zucchini with salt on both sides.

Dip the sliced zucchini into the egg batter one slice at a time, making sure that the zucchini slice is fully coated. Toss the battered zucchini into the small-batch bowl of breadcrumb mixture, lightly pressing the breadcrumbs to make sure they stick. Place the breaded zucchini onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Continue this process, adding breadcrumbs to the small batch bowl as needed, until all zucchini slices are breaded.

Bake until the breadcrumbs turn a golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve on its own, or with a dipping sauce such as marinara or ranch.

CONGRATULATIONS ANTHONY AND AMANDA!

Grilled Zucchini Caprese Bites

There is nothing quite as satisfying as a simple recipe that uses basic and fresh ingredients, which then produces an amazingly enjoyable dish. The recipe that I’m sharing with you today fits perfectly into this category. Because it can easily be prepared on the grill, it also qualifies as a summer must-have!

One of my all time favorite dishes is the classic Caprese Salad. How the fresh basil, slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella complement each other is pure mouth-watering bliss. One of my favorite vegetables, especially during the summer grilling season, is the zucchini. With just a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe a dash of garlic powder, you have a tasty and healthy vegetable dish that works well with just about any meal served up on the grill. By combining the ingredients of a Caprese Salad with sliced zucchini, you end up with a four-star appetizer that just about anyone will enjoy. You could almost pass it off as a healthier version of a mini bagel bite…now who in their right mind would turn THAT down?!?

Now, before we go any further, I do highly suggest that you use either a grill mat or a grill tray for this recipe. Flipping zucchini slices on a traditional grill grate is always a bit of a gamble, and I would hate to have you drop a few slices between the grate openings into the fiery pit below…and yes, it will happen.

The ingredients are very simple, and can easily be adjusted to accommodate additional servings.
We are going to start with the following:

• 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2″ slices (you should get about 15 or so slices)
• 12-15 cherry tomatoes, sliced (you may need to use more than one slice of tomato per zucchini slice, depending on the size of the zucchini slices)
• fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces that will fit on top of the zucchini slice (a container of mini mozzarella pearls found in the gourmet cheese section of your grocery store work well)
• 15-20 fresh basil leaves (depending on how many zucchini slices you have)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder

Warm your grill to medium-high, and prepare to cook over direct heat. Again, although it is not mandatory, I highly suggest that you use a grill tray or a grill mat instead of cooking the zucchini slices directly on the grill grates. You could also use a sheet of aluminum foil. Whatever surface you are using, be sure that the surface is lightly sprayed or oiled to avoid the zucchini from sticking.

Lightly brush each of the zucchini slices with olive oil, then season each slice with a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the zucchini slices, seasoned side up, on the prepared grill area. Let the zucchini cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the bottom of the slices start to brown, adjusting the flame as needed.

Carefully flip the zucchini slices, making sure that none drop through the grill grates. Top the zucchini slices with a piece of basil, a slice or two of tomato, and a piece of fresh mozzarella.

Let the zucchini cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt.

Carefully remove the zucchini slices. Season with additional salt if necessary. Serve and enjoy!

Oven-baked Version

You can easily prepare this dish in the oven as well. Pre-heat your oven to 400˚. Place the zucchini slices on a lightly sprayed or parchment lines cookie sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes (no need to flip the zucchini when baking in the oven). Top with the basil, sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella. Bake for another 7-10 minutes, or until the mozzarella starts to melt. You can also go with a more traditional pizza-inspired taste by using sauce, shredded mozzarella, oregano and sliced pepperoni as your topping.

Baked Tomato Zucchini Casserole

Here’s an easy, quick and healthy recipe that you can serve as either a side dish or a main course. With just a handful of fresh ingredients, you’ll have this meal assembled and cooked in less than an hour. My original plan for this dish was to bread the individual slices of zucchini and tomatoes, and then stack the slices in a baking dish. To save time and ingredients (and to make it a bit more interesting), I instead decided to make a basic breadcrumb topping (breadcrumbs sautéed in melted butter and mixed with parmesan cheese), and use the topping as a layer within the casserole. I also used a 50/50 mixture of regular breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs for an extra crunchy texture. Regular breadcrumbs will of course work fine on their own.

Ingredients:
3 green zucchini, sliced thin length-wise
8 plum tomatoes, sliced thin
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced thin, separated into individual rings
1/3 cup basil, finely chopped
garlic powder
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 tbspn butter
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used 1/2 regular and 1/2 panko breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Step 1: Making the breadcrumb topping
Melt butter in a small skillet; add breadcrumbs and sauté until lightly browned. Remove from heat, and stir in parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Step 2: Assembling the casserole
Preheat oven to 375˚. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with a single layer of zucchini. Next place a single layer of onion rings (you can spread out the individual rings so that the onions do not  over-power the dish), then add a single layer of tomatoes. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper (to your liking). Sprinkle some of the basil on top. Drizzle with olive oil. Top with a light coating of breadcrumbs. Repeat the layered steps (zucchini, onion, tomatoes, seasoning, basil, breadcrumbs) until all ingredients are used up. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Slice, serve and enjoy!

The assembled casserole.

Sliced and ready to enjoy!

Summer Seafood Giambotta

When I started planning to make this dish earlier this week, my original intentions were to simply sauté some vegetables and serve them over sliced polenta. Apparently my creative juices were in high gear that day. I found myself inspired and started reaching for additional complimentary ingredients. Before I knew it, I had a beautiful pan of giambotta (the classic stewed vegetable dish) simmering away on our new stovetop.Within a half an hour, my wife and I were enjoying a fresh, hearty and flavorful meal!

A traditional giambotta would normally include ingredients such as potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. For this version, I used zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, onion, diced tomatoes and spinach. These are all quick-cooking ingredients, which made for the ideal weekday meal. I like to keep a bag of frozen raw shrimp and frozen scallops on hand for impromptu dishes, and this was the perfect opportunity to put them to use. Letting the shrimp and scallops simmer in the sauce during the last few minutes of cooking guaranteed the perfect, tender texture and taste. We did serve this over sliced polenta, which worked perfectly. But next time I make this, I’m going all out and will be serving it up with a nice crusty loaf of Italian bread to scoop up every last drop of sauce!

SUMMER SEAFOOD GIAMBOTTA

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tbspn olive oil
1 medium zucchini, sliced into circles, then circles sliced in half
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into circles, then circles sliced in half
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 bag baby spinach
1 dozen raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup raw small sea scallops

In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chopped onions, stir, sauté for 30-45 seconds or until translucent.

Add diced zucchini and squash, stir and sauté until zucchini and squash start to soften up. Add diced tomatoes and their juices, lower heat to simmer. Add spinach, stir. Add shrimp and scallops. Stir together, cover with lid and let simmer until shrimp and scallops are done, about 5-7 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper (you can add some crushed red pepper for additional heat). Serve it over sliced polenta or along with crusty Italian bread.

Makes approximately 2-4 servings