Frico Zucchini
Frico Zucchini!
Don’t be offended! I’m not swearing at you or anything—I’m just describing my new favorite summer side: roasted zucchini topped with little pieces of crispy baked cheese, aka, frico. In other words, heaven!
If you are not yet aware of the wonders of frico, it’s really nothing more than a simple, baked cheese crisp. Traditionally, it’s made from shredded or grated Parmesan, but pretty much any hard cheese would work well.
Yup, that’s it. You just drop little mounds of the cheese onto a baking sheet—
And bake until they spread out into golden, lacy discs that crisp up as they cool.
In the baking process, something magical happens allowing these simple little cheesy circles to somehow bypass simplicity and elevate whatever they are accompanying to stardom!
Like ordinary roasted zucchini.
Guys, adding the frico, means that with every tender bite of warm zucchini, you also get the contrast of crunchy, salty cheese. It’s really a treat!
So…frico zucchini. Say it with me. It’s ok. I’m pretty sure that after one taste, you’ll find yourself uttering those two little words all summer long!
Frico Zucchini
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep time for Frico: 15 minutes; Prep Time for Zucchini: 45 minutes
Ingredients
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
2 pounds zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (you could also use yellow squash too or a combo of both)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch or two of kosher salt and black pepper
The Recipe
1. To make the frico: Preheat oven to 375 F and line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Onto one of the sheets, drop tablespoons of the grated Parm, about 3-4 inches apart, so you have little piles. Then flatten the piles out until they make little 2-inch circles. Bake for about 8-9 minutes, until the cheese fully melts and starts to turn deeply golden. Remove from the oven and let cool fully. They will crisp as they cool.
2. Turn the oven to 450 F. Toss the squash with the olive oil, salt and pepper onto the other prepared baking sheet and roast the zucchini for 35-45 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the pieces are browned and well cooked. Transfer to a bowl. Break the cooled Parmesan rounds into small pieces and scatter over the zucchini. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen by Dana Cowin. I upped the amount of parm and simplified the zucchini cooking a bit. Also, you could really sub in any veggie you prefer or have on hand.
