Baked Zucchini Sticks with Caramelized Onion Dip

GAH! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I've posted any recipes. My life has been so crazy that I haven't had time for blogging! Anyway... I'm going to make up for it by posting a bunch of recipes I've tried out lately. As we all know, late summer/early fall is zucchini season. As soon as I whipped up something with one zucchini, there would be three more in my garden. Here is one recipe that became a hit at my house. You can find the original recipe from King Arthur Flour here. Just a side note, I make the dip while the zucchini drains in the sink.

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Caramelized Onion Dip

Yield: about 3 dozen sticks

Dip:

1 T butter

1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced

2 T cider vinegar

2 T honey

1 T prepared mustard

1 C mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini Sticks

3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3" long sticks

1 T salt

1 C panko bread crumbs

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 T Italian seasoning

Olive oil spray

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. To make dip: Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat, and add sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, then caramelize. This should take between 10 to 15 minutes. The lower the heat, the longer it takes, but the less likely you are to burn the onions.

2. Once onions are a medium brown, remove from the heat and add vinegar.

3. Place onions and vinegar into a small food processor. Add honey and mustard, and process and blend until smooth.

4. Add mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

5. To make zucchini sticks: Place zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the tablespoon salt. Let the zucchini drain for 1 hour or longer; rinse and pat dry.

6. Combine panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning; set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spray parchment with olive oil.

8. Dredge sticks a few at a time in the egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place sticks on baking sheet.

9. Bake sticks for 12 minutes, turn over, and bake for another 8 minutes until golden-brown and crisp.

10. Serve immediately with sweet onion dip.

Cornish Pasty

I very rarely eat red meat, but I do make an exception for this dish. I'm actually making these for dinner tonight. =) For those of you that don't know what a pasty is, it is a savory pie of sorts that originally came from Cornwall, England. You fill pastry dough with steak, potatoes, and other veggies, fold the dough over to make a semi-circle, then seal and crimp the edges before baking.

I was watching Man vs. Food with my hubbie one day. In the episode, they stopped at a little diner where they specialize in pasties. I thought they looked pretty yummy, and decided to make them myself. I found this site with a whole bunch of pasty recipes, which is where I got this one from. I made some changes as I usually do. You can experiment with different fillings too. I do it all of the time. This is just a traditional, Cornish Pasty, but oh so tasty. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
   Crust
3 cups flour
1 1/2 sticks butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons water (ice cold)
   Filling
1 to 2 pounds round steak, (depending on how much meat you would like) cut into bite sized pieces
5 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
   Crust
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, butter, and salt. Blend ingredients until well combined and add water, one tablespoon at a time, to form the dough. Toss mixture until it forms a ball.
2. Kneed dough lightly against a smooth surface with heel of the hand to distribute the fat evenly.
3. Form into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in wax paper, and chill for 30 minutes.  
Tip: Work the dough as little as possible, or it will become too tough.
   Filling
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Divide the dough into 6 pieces, and roll one of the pieces into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface.
3. Put 1 1/2 cups of filling on half of the round. Moisten the edges with egg wash, and fold the unfilled half over to enclose it.
4. Pinch the edges together to seal the crust, and crimp the edges with a fork.
5. Transfer the pasty to a lightly buttered baking sheet and cut several slits in the top to vent.
6. Roll out and fill the remaining dough.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Put 1 teaspoon butter through a slit in each pasty, and continue baking 30 minutes more.
8. Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and enjoy!