Baked Zucchini Fries with Tyrokafteri Chilli Cheese Dip

So here you are as promised, these baked zucchini fries are the perfect vehicle for the Tyrokafteri chilli cheese dip that I posted yesterday. They are also really good with a basil pesto mayo.

I first had zucchini fries at a bar/restaurant called Liquid Lounge in Puerto Banus about 8 or 9 years ago. Liquid Lounge is not there anymore unfortunately but, at the time, it was the place to be in Banus. They had an amazing cocktail menu and a chef that thought he was Marco Pierre White. The food was modern Italian/British and they had zucchini fries as one of the starters.

I had them every time we went. They came with a basil pesto mayo and it seemed to me that everyone was ordering them as a side dish as well. We used to think that they must have had one person in that kitchen just doing zucchini fries. They were that popular.

I knew as I saw these courgettes growing where I walk with the dog that Zucchini Fries was going to be my first courgette recipe of the season. Definitely not the last though.

I have made them at home quite a few times and I’ve always deep-fried them in breadcrumbs. I made this version gluten-free and baked them instead of deep-frying. You know what, I think that they might actually be better this way.

The “breading” is  a heavenly mixture of finely grated parmesan/manchego, crushed fennel seeds, ground almonds, cornmeal (arepa flour or polenta), oregano, chilli flakes and gluten-free breadcrumbs. And they do crisp up nicely in the oven too, if that’s what you’re worried about.

Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe

Serves 2 as a snack or side dish, vegetarian, gluten-free. Adapted from Prairie Table

• 1 medium courgette/zucchini
• 1 egg, beaten
• 35 gr (1/3 cup) finely grated parmesan or manchego cheese
• 35 gr (1/3 cup) ground almonds
• 35 gr (1/4 cup) arepa cornmeal (or polenta)
• 35 gr (1/4 cup) gluten-free breadcrumbs
• salt & black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (then crushed)
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and brush it all over with olive oil.

Tip all the dry coating ingredients in a freezer/ziploc bag season well with salt & pepper and shake to combine well.

Wash & dry your courgette and trim off both ends. Cut the courgette in half into two even cylinders and cut each half lengthways into 8 fries. Make sure each piece has some skin to hold it together.

Put the beaten egg in a shallow dish or plate and season with salt & pepper. Toss 2 pieces at a time in the egg until coated on all sides, then drop the pieces into the freezer bag. Seal and shake about well to make sure they are well coated, then place on the lined, oiled baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the fries.

Drizzle over a little olive oil so that each piece has a little and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Take the tray out of the oven and use tongs to turn them over. Put them back in the oven for about 5 minutes to crisp on the other side.

Serve immediately with Tyrokafteri chilli cheese dip or a basil pesto mayo.

I served them with my version of a Greek Salad too. Cos lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion, cucumber, black grapes, (I don’t like olives), fresh mint, fresh parsley, dried oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Enjoy!!