Parmesan Pesto Zucchini Sticks

Serves 6 to 8

3 medium zucchini, trimmed
1/2 cup store-bought pesto
8 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 large garlic cloves
1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black peppe

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Cut each zucchini in quarters lengthwise through the stem and then cut each quarter again in thirds lengthwise.
3. In a medium shallow bowl, whisk together the pesto and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and set aside.
4. Place the parsley and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until they are finely minced. Add the panko, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Pulse only until all the panko is moistened with oil. Pour the mixture onto a dinner plate.
5. Dip the zucchini spears first into the pesto mixture, turning to coat completely, then place each one in the crumb mixture, pressing and turning to coat thickly. Arrange the sticks in rows on the prepared sheet pans.
6. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the crumbs have crisped to a crunchy golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt and serve hot.

My notes: These were pretty yummy, but maybe a little too much work for the end result. I have to admit I didn’t actually put the ingredients in a food processor. Getting out (and then cleaning) the food processor always seems like a lot of work to me, and not something I usually do on a weeknight. So I just stirred everything up really well, and it seemed to work fine.

On a totally different topic, I did use the Chicken Stock recipe from this cookbook as a general guideline to make some chicken stock this weekend. I used the stock to make the Flu-Fighter Chicken and Rice Stew recipe from Run Fast. Eat Slow. It was so good! I know chefs always say this, but the homemade stock make a huge difference.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and you have time to try out some new recipes or make chicken soup!