Recipe: Crispy Squash

It’s time to start enjoying the bounty of fresh garden vegetables.  I hope most of you who don’t have a garden of your own will soon be offered some surplus neighbor gifts of that old favorite standby—zucchini.  My favorite zucchini joke is the one that says something like, “Why does everyone lock their car in the church parking lot during the summer?  Because if they don’t it will get filled with zucchini while they’re in church!”

Here’s the thing about enjoying zucchini to the fullest.  You cannot, and I repeat, CANNOT let it get too big.  No one wants those big old watery two foot long boats left on their front porch.  Notice how small the zucchinis are in the grocery store?  Trying to choke down the overgrown specimens with tough skins gives the vegetable a bad name, when it is actually nutritious, versitile, and delicious!

I would have to say that my most loved way to make zucchini or yellow crookneck summer squash is the way my Mom made it for us when we were kids, sliced, breaded, and fried in butter in her cast iron skillet.  The way she cooked it was delicious beyond words; however, when I married and started growing my own squash, I came up with a healthier (and easier) version that we could enjoy more often and without guilt (see recipe below).  I have made untold panfulls of this treat through the years, and we have never grown tired of it.  Even people who claim to hate summer squash seem to enjoy it—especially kids.  We have been known to count them before dinner to make sure everyone gets their fair share.  All you need is zucchini, eggs, cracker crumbs, and butter.  Give it a try!

Crispy Zucchini (or Yellow Squash)

-Medium sized zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, sliced ¼” thick

-Beaten eggs (2 large eggs makes 1 cookie sheet full)

-Finely Crushed Saltine Crackers

-Melted butter

-Salt and pepper

Wash and slice the squash as evenly as possible and place in large bowl.

Beat eggs and crush crackers (I use my food processor—you could also use a blender or place crackers in plastic bag and use a rolling pin).

Spray cookie sheet or sheets with cooking spray.

Place cracker crumbs in a small shallow bowl and eggs in a second.  Don’t add the crumbs to the bowl all at once, just keep refilling or it will get glumpy from the egg and not stick well.

Set up an assembly line with the squash first, then the egg, then the crumbs, then the cookie sheet.  This is a great project for kids to help with. 

First immerse a slice in the egg, then the crackers, coating well on both sides, then onto the cookie sheet.  (Use a fork or wooden skewer to keep your fingers from being coated in egg and crumbs).  Keep going until you have as many as you want or your cookie shets are full, beating more egg and crushing more crackers if you need to. 

Once they are all laid out, drizzle melted butter over them (I just use a small spoon).  It takes about a half a cube of butter or so per pan.  Sprinkle each slice with salt and black pepper.   Bake at 375 degrees for around 40 minutes, not turning.  They will crisp up fine on the bottom as well as the top.  If you want to do two pans in your oven and it’s not a convection oven, rotate the pans part way through to ensure even browning.

Serve as soon as they come out of the oven, as they cool quickly.  If desired, you can dip them in ranch dressing, but we always have them plain as a side dish.

*Originally distributed August 2013