Рецепт Don't They Say That Imitation Is the Sincerest Form Of Flattery?
A couple of Sundays ago, the weather was kind of gloomy here in Florida. It is very unusual to have a day that is mostly clouds and rain, since Florida is the "Sunshine State" after all. We had planned to go to the Lowry Park Zoo, but decided that walking around soaking wet would not make for a very enjoyable day, so we decided to spend the afternoon at the Florida Aquarium. The aquarium is located in the Channel District of Tampa, better known as Channelside.
They have a whole display of dragons! Well, okay, not the legendary-type dragons, but real live sea dragons from the other side of the world. Fabulous and rare, sea dragons are fantasies come to life. Their habitat is off the coast of Southern Australia, where cool kelp forests and colorful sponge gardens grow on rocky underwater cliffs. I have always been fascinated by sea horses. I probably acted worse than some kids that day when my husband insisted that it was time to move on and let someone else view the amazing creatures. I was consoled only by the promise of food! So we finished our tour of the aquarium, checked out the great gift shop and ventured forth to forage for food.
Much to our surprise, the rain had passed while we were inside and the sun was coming out, meaning we could dine outside! Last time we were at Channelside, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Margarita Mamma's, so this time we decided to give Bennigan's a try, since we had not been to one in so long and they had the perfect table outside right next to one of the cruise ships that was preparing to set sail! We really were not that hungry as we had consumed a large breakfast, so we decided to just get some appetizers and beer. The zucchini planks were my choice! They were very good, and I knew I would have to copy these since they would be great for a snack while watching college football!
The other day, I had some extra time on my hands and some zucchini in the fridge, so it was time to experiment! To make the planks, I used a very sharp knife to cut off the ends and slice them carefully into planks. My initial though had been to use my mandolin, but I was afraid that the plank would be too thin. After they were sliced, I placed them on paper towels to dry while I prepared the breading, using bowls of flour, 2 eggs thinned with some water, and Italian bread crumbs.
After prepping my breading, I dipped the first plank into the flour and very little of it stuck. Silly me, they were still too wet! I needed to get more of the water out of them, and knew salt would work. I lightly salted each side and let them stand for about 15 minutes. I covered the eggs and put them in the fridge and moved on to making some marinara sauce.
Now it was time to try breading again. I pressed the planks in paper towels to try and remove as much of the remaining moisture as possible, then wiped off any excess salt. Into the flour they went and hooray, it stuck! I then coated them in the egg mixture and then into the Italian bread crumbs they went. I allowed them to sit about 15 minutes to give the coating a chance to dry slightly.
I stirred the marina and prepared my pan for frying and set up a tray covered with paper towels to drain the fried planks. I always try to have everything ready before I begin frying......less burns that way. Once the oil was hot enough to sizzle a little of the coating, I began frying, being careful not to crowd the pan! I fried each sides for about 3 minutes, flipping them over with my tongs. When both sides were a golden brown, I removed them from the oil and put them on the paper towel-lined tray and began frying another batch. By the time they were all fried and the marina sauce was done, the pre-season football game was on! What a great snack these were! Granted, they weren't too healthy because of the fried breading, but hey, at least they had a veggie inside!
Super Easy Marinara Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often so neither the garlic nor the onion burns.
Add the tomatoes (including the liquid), tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and sugar. If the tomatoes chunks are too large, cut them in the pan using kitchen scissors. Bring the sauce to a simmer over over medium to medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer in the pot for about 20 to 25 minutes.