Reci-Tips: What to do with Zucchini

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

The supply of zucchini peaks in summertime, when home gardeners, overwhelmed by the abundance, beg friends to take the excess. But it’s also a steady player the rest of the year, and it’s my go-to vegetable, year-round.

I love the versatility of zucchini and usually have some in my crisper, ready to go into stir-fries, to slice raw for salads, and at last resort, to throw into soups or fried rice, when it’s time to clean out the fridge.

I love zucchini so much, I’ve developed some reci-tips for them to tweet occasionally, that I’m sharing verbatim in this post. You might have seen some of those tweets if you follow me @specialforksndy on Twitter.

As you’ll see below, the sentences and words of the reci-tips are truncated, to fit the 140-character maximum that Twitter allows per tweet. But I’m sure you’ll get the idea.

When my kids were young and I had to coax them to eat vegetables, I found oven-baked zucchini sticks were kid-friendly, and a good bet:

•  Cut zucchini in sticks, dip in beaten eggs; roll in mix of dry bread crumbs & Parmesan w/dried herbs. Bake 450F until crusty.

Later on, I learned that cutting zucchini lengthwise and frying them on each side caramelized them slightly, making them especially delicious. This is still my favorite way to cook zucchini.

• Halve zucchini lengthwise; fry in olive oil on each side until softened. Top w/Parmesan, grated lemon peel & black pepper.

Zucchini also make a good addition to frittatas:

• Sauté sliced zucchini & mushrooms in skillet w/heatproof handle. Beat eggs w/S&P & add. Top w/cheese. As eggs begin to set, broil top.

And they make a good topping for pizzas:

• Make pizza w/frozen & rolled pizza dough, sautéed sausage slices, zucchini, roasted r pepper & provolone; bake as pkg directs.

Here’s a simple recipe for Zucchini Planks that could actually be turned into a reci-tip tweet.

Zucchini Planks
2 large zucchini (about 1 pound total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Flour
2 eggs, well beaten
Oil for frying
Soy sauce

Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut lengthwise to form planks about ½-inch thick. Lay them in a single layer on a small baking sheet and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat each zucchini plank in flour, then in beaten eggs.

Cover the bottom of a large nonstick frying pan with oil and heat until medium-hot. Add zucchini planks and fry until golden brown and crusty, about 3 minutes on each side. Do not crowd the pan; fry in batches. Drain on paper towels.

Serve Zucchini Planks hot with soy sauce.

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Note: Rather than tossing the remaining beaten eggs, fry them in the skillet after the zucchini are cooked and serve on the side.

Special Fork is a recipe website for your smartphone and PC that solves the daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now! Check out our recipe database for quick ideas that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.