Two Flavors
Ever since folks have been posting recipes and information
on zucchini chips, I’ve been interested. However, I am always concerned about
oil going rancid and long-term storage.
I tried several ways of seasoning them without oil, but invariably, the
seasonings didn’t adhere well.
I finally came up with a method that works. I decided to try blanching them before dehydrating. My first batch was a mess! They were too thin and stuck to the racks. Nothing but crumbles.
In my next batch, I sliced them thicker and blanched for
only two minutes. It worked perfectly.
The seasonings adhered to the chips and they are really tasty.
Sliced & Halved
A friend gave me several extra-large, older zucchinis. Mike specifically requested something spicy,
so I used our home-made but pre-mixed Cajun blackening spices for his. On the other hand, I don’t care for something
that is an endurance test to eat, so I opted for garlic salt and Basil.
One of my concerns was that I didn’t want the two batches to
get confused. The middle part of the
squash was hollow, so I simply cut them in half, that way we could easily tell
the mild from the spicy apart.
Powdered Herbs
I knew the salt in the garlic salt would be a bit too
coarse, so I decided to use the mortar and pestle and grind it with the basil
into a fine powder.
Blackened Zukes
The trick to getting the seasonings to adhere is blanching.
Since zukes are so tender and delicate, I decided on two minutes of blanch time
followed by plunging into a cold water bath.
Garlic Salt & Basil
When you are seasoning, remember that dehydrated foods are
concentrated. If you season them too
heavily, they will be so concentrated in flavor, that they can be really
unpleasant. So go lightly on the
seasonings until the taste is right for your family.
Garlic & Basil
Lightly
mist the racks with non-stick spray - Make sure, when you put them on the racks to leave enough room for air circulation.
- I set mine at 120°
- They dried overnight and were ready by mid-afternoon of the next day.
About half way through the drying time, turn them over.
I made mine this week by misting with garlic infused water and Costco mesquite seasoning. First simmer sliced garlic in water for five minutes, strain and pour into spray bottle. Place zucchini on trays. Mist lightly with garlic water. Sprinkle with seasoning. The water helps to melt the salt in the seasoning and adhere the spices. Dried over night at 115.
ReplyDeleteThey are also good with the commercial mix Montreal Steak Seasoning, giving them that garlic-peppery taste.
ReplyDeleteI slice mine lengthwise with a mandoline, marinate in this (with sesame oil added to the marinade), then dehydrate: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/revisiting-tofu-bacon.html?m=1 Delicious! They turn out chewy/crisp.
ReplyDelete