Chefmeow's Zucchini Patties I Made It

ChefMeow's Zucchini Patties

gkwillow 12 years ago
Zucchini Patties
Fans of Eggplant Parmigiana will surely enjoy this one...follow ChefMeow's instructions to top the patties with italian cheese and marinara for a delicious meal.

I salted the grated zucchini and kept it in a colander over a plate for about 10 minutes to release excess liquid. And then used panko to coat.

My marinara sauce was seasoned well, so the overall taste of the dish was excellent, but if I were eating the patties alone with sour cream, I would probably add some grated onion, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper, and italian seasoning to taste.

>>>I realize (and anticipate) that some may say "where's the beef?" I would say to them that this makes a wonderful side dish to grilled chicken!
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frankieanne 12 years ago said:

Wow, what beautiful pictures! Almost makes me wish I had grown zucchini this year. I always skip a year because you can get so much from just one plant. I take a break. :) This sounds really delicious.

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

Thank you - they were beautiful to my hungry tummy, too! Know what you mean about zucchini. And if you don't keep up with them and get them when they're small, they turn into clubs overnight! Was just thinking that a good seasoning for the patties if you're eating them alone is Old Bay. Could kind of make believe they're crab cakes... :)

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

I feel like I've been robbed.........Now I dont know what to say except your pic is awesome. I just ate dinner and this makes me hungry again. I love zuks. Especially the "club" ones. Great for the BBQ and stuffing them.

This sounds like a GREAT dish to have with grilled chicken. Your pic is so good, that I keep looking back at it during this post. Ya know, speaking of side dish, is there a rule of thumb when picking a side dish to go with a main course like say Salmon or Halibut? Oh, and back to your pic, what plant is that green leaf from?

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

The "parmigiana" did taste as good as it looks! For a grill preparation, how about just grilling the "zukes", melting cheese on top, and then smothering in marinara? I bet that would be just about as tasty and easier if you've already got the grill fired up for chicken or other meat...

Rules for side dishes? The only thing I go by is that I don't want to end up with conflicting flavors. Like............if your fish or meat has an asian glaze, soy sauce, ginger, miso, etc. then you probably don't want a side that is heavily flavored with Italian seasoning, (oregano, basil, rosemary) or Mexican (cumin, chili powder, coriander) or Indian (curry, turmeric). The meat and the side should be more compliments of each other, not total opposites flavor-wise. But that's just my personal preference in planning a menu, not a book rule by any means. :)

The garnish in my photo is lime basil. I've grown that for the past 3-4 years and I like the flavor better than the "regular" type of basil that you buy in the grocery store. It tastes slightly different, don't know that I would identify it as "lime" but enough that I would say that I like it better...

I think I'm singing the bye-bye birdie song. It seems that most of the hummers are either gone or will soon be gone on their winter "vacation" in southern parts. They zoom around so fast that it's hard to follow what they are doing! I took a movie and went through it frame-by-frame until I got the screen shot that I'm using as my avatar. They actually peck each other on the head in order to get them to move away from the feeder. Ouch! And they seem like such sweet little birds...

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

I dont think I have ever seen so many 'byrdies" in one spot. I know I have seen three at one time on one of those feeders. I actually remember the day. But never more than that. Is that a golf course in the background? Beautiful scenery..

Thanks for the info on side dishes. And I wish they sold the "club" zukes at the stores. My daughter hates zukes. Or she did. She loves them when I BBQ them (1/2" thick), or quick fry them in olive oil with garlic and a quick dash of soy sauce (1/8" thin) The two of us will easily eat one of those monster clubs at a sitting

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

I've had a feeder up since 2007 when I moved into the house, and each summer have always had a few "regulars." But all of a sudden early last month hummers just started appearing from nowhere! There was so much competition for the feeder that I actually had to put up three...I was using about a cup of sugar each day making nectar. Standing out by the feeders on the patio sounded like you were in the middle of a bumble bee's nest and they would dive-bomb so close that you could actually feel the breeze from their wings! They are entertaining little creatures and I will miss them... :(

No, that's not a golf course that you see in the photo, that's just an open area where a house hasn't been built yet. But I do live in a subdivision near a Country Club so some of the homes do have golf course views... I designed and planted most of the landscaping around the patio and in the back yard to give privacy when and if a house is built there... :)

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mommyluvs2cook 12 years ago said:

Okay I had to make this cause it LOOKED and sounded so good! It was good! Thanks willow for sharing this with us!

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

Yours look really yummy ML2C. I just might have to make them again SOON!

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frankieanne 12 years ago said:

OK, I'm kicking myself for not growing zucchini this year. Yours look delicious, too, ml2c!

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mommyluvs2cook 12 years ago said:

Thanks yall! Lol Frankie! I did grow zukes but they didn't last as long as usual and sure didn't produce much. We have just had a SUPER hot summer and no rain! I did buy this one last week then never used it so this was perfect!

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

I had this for lunch today. The only thing I did different was to add chopped onions. I had problems making the patty, or rather keeping the patty intact. It was very wet. I even pressed the zukes in a strainer to remove liquid before adding. Did yours (GK and ML2C) form up easily? I guess I was expecting it to form like a hamburger patty. I added extra flour. Either way this was excellent. I dont know the difference between marinara and spaghetti sauce. I used a homemade spag sauce. After adding it I realized that was supposed to be on top of the cheese. Added a pic. Thanks for the heads up GK

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

Mr. P you weren't the only one who had trouble keeping the patties in good form. I ended up working in extra flour and even then had a hard time picking them up and getting them into the pan in patty shape. I kind of ended up reshaping them once they got in the skillet. Actually, I used spaghetti sauce too. I think marinara just refers to meatless sauce. You went all out with homemade! Mine came from a jar. :O

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

I used 2 big spatulas to get it from the bread crumbs to the skillet. I was sure I had done something wrong. But geez was it good. I loved the crispness of it

I have homemade spag sauce because I was given a box full of tomatoes and needed to use them up. (They're all gone though. Now its back to the store for them). I have only made it twice. Both times in a crock pot. Trying to play with it and learn. Beans and spag sauce come out great. But thats all I've had any luck with so far.

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mommyluvs2cook 12 years ago said:

I squeezed the heck out of my zucchini through a dish towel and still had a little moisture while making my patties. I don't think I had as much trouble as yall did, but yes they were very fragile. I used what I call spaghetti sauce too ;) I've always thought marinara WAS spaghetti sauce just 2 different ways to say it ;) Guess its cause I always make meatballs and don't do the whole broken up ground beef in the sauce.

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pointsevenout 12 years ago said:

Marinara sauce IS a version of pasta sauce. It is a fresh tomato sauce highly seasoned and can be put together very quickly. It is not cooked as long one would take to simmer down what has become to be known as a traditional spaghetti sauce. The term Marinara has become bastardized to be known as any type of red spaghetti sauce. It can be used interchangeably with other red sauces, so no harm no foul unless you're a snobbish purist.

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mommyluvs2cook 12 years ago said:

Thanks for clearing that one up points!

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