Yup - it's the time of year when even you dear friends may hide from you if they see you coming bringing squash..... and in small towns over the South, people are now locking their cars so no one will leave squash on the front seat!
My problem is..... I need more neighbors, or a husband that eats squash, because it's growing faster than I can get rid of it, and as I'm NOT one to waste.... I'm freezing it!
If you're blessed to have a source of fresh summer squash..... try some of my favorite recipes. Actually they aren't all that original - just ways my mom cooked it when we had a garden. All you have to remember is the Squash Foursome is: squash, S&P, onions, and cayenne (well maybe that's technically a five-some)
The simplest way..... is to just boil small squash WHOLE... ones about as round as a silver dollar (do we still HAVE those?) and about 4-5 inches long. Snip off both ends and boil in salt water until fork tender - not mushy. Split down the middle, add salt and pepper and a big dollop of butter.... and enjoy!
Another easy way to prepare squash is to snip the ends and then slice into discs about 1/4" - 1/2" thick and put in a heavy saucepan. Add a medium onion, peeled and also cut into discs. Add a shake or two of kosher salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of butter, and just enough water to ALMOST wet the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cover; reduce the heat to low and cook until tender, stirring every 5-10 minutes. The salt SHOULD draw liquid out of the squash and onions, but if the pot gets dry, add a little more water. Cook until tender, 15-18 minutes, depending on thickness of the squash.
My favorite 'easy' prep is to saute the squash with onions (Can you tell I LOVE SQUASH COOKED WITH ONIONS?) In a heavy pan or wok, melt a tablespoon of butter with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. While that's heating up, wash dry and slice the squash into discs about 1/4" thick. Do the same for a medium onion, and separate the rings. Add to the pan, sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a SHAKE OR TWO OF ground CAYENNE. Cook over medium high heat until squash is lightly browned and onions are soft. Nobody eats just one of these!
Sauteed Squash
Moving right along.....
Fried squash patties are delicious and not at all difficult. You'll need about 3 C of grated squash -- only grate the solid outer part - avoid grating the centers where the seeds are. Whiz a medium onion in a food processor and add to the squash. Add an egg and a few shakes of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and a couple of shakes of..... you got it! GROUND CAYENNE PEPPER. THICKEN with equal parts flour and Ritz cracker crumbs to the consistency of a 'batter' that will drop from a soup spoon but hold its shape. (Practice dropping a few on waxed paper before cooking them. I like mine about 2" wide when dropped, and after flipping, they are about 3" in diameter.) Add enough oil to a heavy frying pan to just barely cover the bottom. Drop patties into the hot oil without crowding them....peek to see when they are golden brown - and then flip to brown the other side. Drain on paper towels before serving.
I have two recipes for squash casserole - one with and one without cheese...
SQUASH CASSEROLE (no cheese)
SERVES: 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
2 C cooked, drained squash
1 egg
1 small onion
- finely chopped
1 TBSP parsley
flakes
1 tsp. hot
sauce (more if desired)
8 oz. sour
cream (optional but makes the casserole creamy)
20 Ritz
crackers
1/2 stick butter (or margarine, if you must ) - melted
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°
Wash and dry squash and cut into discs. Cook in boiling, salted water until fork-tender. Drain well and let cool to room temperature
(or you’ll cook the egg!).
Combine squash and next five ingredients in a small casserole
dish. Crush crackers and mix with melted
butter and spread over top of squash.
Bake 30-40 minutes. Let sit about 10 minutes.
* * * *
SQUASH CASSEROLE (with
cheese)
SERVES: 8-12
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs. small
yellow squash
2 C onions
– chopped and divided
1 C water
Salt
and fresh ground pepper
3-4 shakes of cayenne pepper
1 stick butter
2 tsp. sugar
2 large
eggs
1/2 C cream
4 oz. Grated
Cheddar cheese
1 stack Ritz
crackers - crushed
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse squash.
Remove the stem and blossom ends and slice crosswise into 1” discs. Add to a pot with 1 C water and 1 C chopped
onions. Season with salt and
pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until
just fork tender – about 15 minutes.
Drain liquid and set pot aside.
In another pot, add butter and melt over medium
heat. Reduce heat and add remaining cup
of onions. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring
often. Add drained squash and onions to
this pot. Add sugar, and cook 1-2
minutes until water evaporates. Remove
pot from heat. Add cayenne.
Whisk cream and eggs until smooth. Add to the cooked squash and stir gently to
blend. Add additional salt and pepper to
taste.
Preheat oven to 350°
Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spoon the squash into the dish. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper to
taste. Sprinkle with grated cheese and
top with crumbled crackers. Bake until
casserole bubbles around the edges and the cracker crumbs are lightly toasted –
about 30-40 minutes.
Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
AND WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS......
Freeze the darn things!
Bring a large pot (like a Dutch oven) of water to a hard rolling boil. Add squash that has been washed, ends snipped, and sliced into discs 1/4" - 1/2" thick. Bring back to a hard boil and remove from the heat. Let squash sit for 2 minutes - then drain and let it cool. (I drain in a large colander and then put the colander back over the pot and set both under the kitchen ceiling fan for about 20 minutes.) When cooled enough to handle, ladle about 2 cups of squash into quart Ziploc FREEZER bags. Express as much air as possible and seal. 'Flatten' the bag gently - this helps make them stackable. Arrange on a metal tray and freeze quickly.
Voila! Squash all year!
