Summer squash 1 (easy) way for 3 (delicious) dishes!

Summer squash, garlic, onion, rosemary, and oregano

July is awash with summer squash, pretty much no matter where you live. Growing up in Vermont, I remember seeing baskets of green and yellow long necks lining country roads towards the end of summer with desperately scrawled “free” signs above them.  Neighbors would reel you in with offers of dinner, then insist that you take some squash with you when you left. By August, everyone is sick of this delicious, abundant, and multi-faceted vegetable.

I religiously wait for them to come into season, and when they do I just can’t get enough—summer squash is light, remarkably versatile, cheap, and easy to work with. If you think you don’t like it but have never tried it fresh (i.e. straight from the farm, not from Peru via your local grocer) you have to give it another try. It grows as fast as weeds, and lends itself really well to almost any flavor you’d like to throw at it. You can think of it as the tofu of vegetables, except less bland and overrated. Summer squash is high in just about every nutrient you’ve ever heard of—including vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, K, Omega 3 fatty acids, folate, manganese…the list goes on—it’s so good for you that you that it makes the cut for the World’s Healthiest foods list.

If this is your first foray into summer squash, I applaud your willingness to give it a try!  This week, we’re doing squash 1 easy way for 3+ dishes. Perfect for new cooks and busy people everywhere! “But wait”, you say “won’t I get sick of all this squash?” Oh my god will you ever!  And that’s good, because once it’s gone, you can’t have it again until next summer—at least not the good stuff. You can find foreign-grown squash in every store across the country all year round, but it only resembles its locally grown cousin in looks—certainly not in nutrients or in taste. I find out of season summer squash to be mealy, bitter, and dry. A good summer squash is fragile, bruises easily, and holds the perfect amount of moisture and elasticity in its flesh for cooking quickly on high heat—the same traits make them perfect for the grill as well!

Summer squash pasta Parmesan

Of the 3 simple dishes I’m posting today, Jeremy’s pick for dinner was summer squash pasta Parmesan.  This week I’ll also serve squash fajitas with garlic mayo and cotija cheese, and polenta with sauteed squash (and any other veggies I have lying around, no doubt.)   Though I’m not profiling them tonight, this same preparation of squash is perfect for a tamale filling, and is an excellent in savory puff pastries.

Hey, I’ve been around the block and know the difference between a straight neck and a scallop. Take me to the recipes, please!

First, let’s start off with the very simple base that will be the foundation of all of these dishes—summer squash. Summer squash is the name for any squash whose skin and seeds can be eaten. Winter squash must be peeled and seeded before consumption, and their hard outer shell makes them ideal for longer-term storage than their summer brethren, which are only good for about a week after they’ve been harvested.

Within the summer squash family, the vegetables are generally interchangeable. Scallops or pattypans are the flatter, circular types, while straight and crooked necks are the longer, more commonly seen variety of yellow squash. Zucchini is a green long neck and tastes very similar to the yellow version—when available, I like to use both for added color, but either will do. Long or crooked neck refers to the top of the squash and is pretty self-explanatory—a crooked neck has a crooked neck, and a straight neck has a straight neck. As a general rule, the smaller the squash, the more sweet and flavorful it will be. I generally stick to medium-sized vegetables, as I find these have the perfect combination of flavor and ease of workability.

Cubing zucchini

Any summer squash can be used for the following recipes, but I generally stick to zucchini or yellows. Why? Honestly, it’s because those are most commonly available at my local market. Feel free to branch out and use any summer squash you’d like. Of course as always, if you’re not sure what you’re looking at, ask the farmer for some help. You cannot substitute a winter squash for a summer, and the seasons do overlap, so make sure you know what you’re bringing home!

For each of the 3 dishes I’ll be profiling this week, you can substitute basil, thyme, or parsley for the rosemary and oregano I call for.  Remember not to use more than two flavors at a time, and to be judicious with the pairing. If they smell good together, give them a shot. I wouldn’t mix rosemary with basil in this dish, but that’s just me.  Dry spices can be used in lieu of fresh (but fresh is better and cheaper at the market!)  A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon (tsp) dry equals 1 tablespoon (TBSP) fresh.

In addition to switching up the herbs, feel free to do the same with the vegetables. Squash pairs well with almost everything, including baby bok choy, fresh summer corn, spinach, kale, tomatoes, or peppers—so if you have something you think will taste good to add, by all means do! If you want to change each individual meal up a bit, start with this simple base and add other veggies to it as the week (or season) goes on.  Squash serves as an excellent base on which you can build complexity.

Sautéed summer squash

-1-2 TBSP olive oil (or butter)

-1-2 green summer squash, cubed

-1-2 yellow summer squash, cubed

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 medium onion, chopped.

-1 TBSP minced rosemary (if using basil, chop roughly, do not mince.)

-1 TBSP minced oregano

Cut each summer squash in half, then again so that you have 4 long strips. Cut those into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a skillet with 1 TBSP oil, and add onion, squash, rosemary, and 1/2 of the garlic to the pan. Toss to coat everything with oil. Cook on high, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until squash is tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat, add the rest of the garlic, and give it a quick stir to incorporate.

Voila! Easy right? Now, let’s make our first dish.

Summer squash pasta Parmesan

-1 batch of sautéed summer squash

-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

-1 TBSP olive oil

-1/2 box your choice of pasta (I recommend rotini, campanelle, or penne)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Bring 6 quarts of water (or there about) to a rolling boil. Add half a box of the pasta of your choice and return to a boil. Cook approximately 7 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and add to your freshly sautéed squash, Add the extra olive oil and Parmesan to the mix and stir to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 2.

Summer Vegetable Fajitas

-Ingredients for 1 batch of sautéed summer squash

-*Handful of fresh spinach (optional)

-*1 red pepper, julienned (optional)

-4 hand-pressed flour tortillas (you can buy these at the store, or if you have a Mexican restaurant nearby that makes their own, see if you can buy from them. Most restaurants are happy to sell them to you, usually for a pretty good price.  I get mine from a place by where I work, and they’re AMAZING.)

*Use the sautéed summer squash recipe for this dish, and add the julienned pepper to the squash mixture before cooking. When squash is almost done, add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and remove from heat.

Garlic Mayo

-1/2 cup light mayo

-1 TBSP rice wine Vinegar

-1 TBSP dry sherry

-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (about 10-15 cranks of the pepper mill)

-3 medium cloves garlic, minced

Whisk until well combined. (Note: I used to make a version of this recipe by the gallon when I worked at Eat Good Food, and I always used a food processor. I’d be lying if I told you it wasn’t better in the Cuisinart, but I’m lazy and I hate cleaning the damn thing, so I generally just try to mince the garlic very fine and wisk well. Your call.)

Spread garlic mayo generously over a tortilla. Add about 1/2 cup of the squash mixture to the center of the tortilla, and cover with cotija cheese crumbles. Pepper jack, provolone, or swiss are all decent substitutions for cotija if you prefer—if you opt to use a melting cheese, throwing the whole ordeal in the toaster over for a minute is highly recommended. This particular dish is great for lunch as well. Squash will keep for about a week in a tightly sealed container, and garlic mayo will last even longer. Warm up in your toaster oven (avoid the microwave because it will make mush of the tortilla) and enjoy!  1 batch of sauteed squash makes about 4 tortillas, which generally serves 2 around here.

Sautéed summer vegetable polenta

Polenta

-1 cup polenta (a.k.a. yellow corn grits)

-3 1/2 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, but in lieu of that, try Organic Better than Bouillon)

-Pinch of salt

-1/4 cup Parmesan

-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

-Salt and pepper to taste

Note: I use Bob’s Red Mill polenta corn grits for a base, and the amount of liquid I suggest in this recipe is based on my use of this product. If you buy another brand that recommends you use more or less water per cup of grits, go with their measurements—just be sure to use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water!

Bring water and salt to a rolling boil. Slowly add the dry polenta, stirring as you add. Lower heat to low, and cook 5 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and stir to incorporate. Turn heat off, and cover until ready to serve.  Serves 4.

Vegetable sauté

-Ingredients for 1 batch of sautéed summer squash

-1 ear of fresh corn, grilled lightly (you can do this over a gas range if you don’t have a grill) corn cut from cob.

-1 red pepper, diced

-1/2 cup chicken stock

-2 handfuls of spinach (about 3 cups fresh)

-1 TBSP flour

Sauté onions, peppers, 1/2 garlic, herbs, and squash in the olive oil over high heat for about 3 minutes until they start to give up some of their juices. Add spinach and cook for another 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted and squash and peppers are tender but still firm. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Add the chicken stock, grilled corn the rest of the garlic. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine. Heat until chicken stock thickens a little, then remove from heat and serve over hot polenta.  Serves 3-4.

Stay tuned for more summer squash recipes, coming soon! In the meantime, happy eating!