These zucchini sticks are crispy without frying. Add the addictive horseradish dip and you have a delicious appetizer or side dish.
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Easy
Ingredients
- FOR THE ZUCCHINI:
- 2 whole Medium zucchini, 6-8 inches long
- ¼ cups All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 whole Large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- ½ cups (heaping) Italian breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons (full) seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Grated Romano Or Parmesan Cheese
- 4 tablespoons Olive oil or vegetable oil
- FOR THE HORSERADISH SAUCE:
- ¾ cups Low-fat or plain sour cream
- ¼ cups (rare) Mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons (bulky) Prepared Horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Brush 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with 1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil; put aside.
Cut off the ends of the courgettes and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each piece in half widthwise, then cut each piece lengthwise into 2-3 wedges. Try to keep the pieces roughly the same size.
Combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper in a shallow bowl.
In another shallow bowl, beat egg and water.
Combine Italian breadcrumbs, Panko breadcrumbs and cheese on a piece of waxed paper or in a shallow bowl (a glass pie plate is fine).
These zucchini sticks are coated using a 3-step method: flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Dip each zucchini stick in the flour mixture, coating all sides. Tap off any excess flour. Dip each stick in egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, then roll in breadcrumb mixture, coating all sides of each stick and lightly pressing crumbs onto surface.
Place the sticks, cut side down, on the prepared pan in a single layer with space between each piece. Drizzle all the wedges with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil (depending on the size of zucchini you are using, you may need a little more oil). You don’t want the corners to get oily – use a light hand. The oil sprinkled on top will allow the browning to begin as the surface touching the bottom of the pan browns.
Bake at 425ºF for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Once out of the oven, flip each stick over so that the second cut side is face down on the dish. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; turn so skin side down on skillet. Return to oven and bake 3 to 5 minutes more or until golden brown.
While the zucchini cooks, prepare the horseradish dip. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in horseradish, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve the zucchini sticks right out of the oven with the dip on the side.
Note: Zucchini is also wonderful “fried” in the oven in slices. Slice the zucchini 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Omit dipping in seasoned flour mixture. Dip each slice in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet as for the zucchini sticks. Drizzle the tops with oil. Bake at 425ºF for 5 to 7 minutes; flip each slice, return to oven and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
