Summer Squash

​Squash Ribbons with Tomatoes, Peanuts, Basil, Mint, and Spicy Fish-Sauce Sauce
From Six Seasons by Josh McFadden
Serves 4
 
4 medium zucchini or a mix of zucchini and yellow squash
Kosher salt
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
1 small handful basil leaves
1 small handful mint leaves
¼ cup Spicy Fish-Sauce (recipe below)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Using a mandoline, carefully slice the zucchini from the bottom to the top to create very thin ribbons of squash. (If you don’t have a mandoline, just cut the zucchini into very thin crosswise slices, to create rounds.)  Toss the squash with 1 teaspoon salt and put in a colander so the salt can draw out excess moisture.  Let them sit for 30 minutes.  Blot the squash on paper towels to remove the moisture and excess salt.  Pile into a large bowl. 
Add the tomatoes, peanuts, scallions, basil, and mint.  Pour in the spicy fish-sauce sauce and toss again.  Taste and decide whether the salad needs more salt.  Add ¼ cup olive oil and toss again.  Do a final taste and toss, arrange on plates, and serve right away.
Spicy Fish-Sauce Sauce
Makes about 1 ¼ cups
¼ cup seeded, deribbed, and minced fresh hot chiles (use a mix of colors)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup fish sauce
¼ cup water
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Stir everything together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.  Taste and adjust so you have an intense sweet-salty-sour-hot balance.  Ideally, make this a day ahead, then taste and readjust the seasonings on the second day.  The chile heat is likely to get stronger.  The sauce will keep for a month or two in the fridge.
More ways to use it:
Sprinkle over grilled fish or vegetables.
Use as a dip for salad rolls or lettuce wraps.
Mix with a touch of oil and marinate firm tofu to be grilled.

​Charred Summer Squash
​Riding home from the farmers market on a Saturday, I was listening to an episode of The Splendid Table.  On it, the host was speaking with chef Ashley Christensen about grilling summer squash.  It struck me that she suggests grilling the squash and zucchini with no oil or seasoning.  The heat, she went on to explain, causes the squash to contract and when you take it off and it begins to cool, then it expands.  During this cooling and expansion, the squash is able to more fully soak up a dressing.  Of course!  She is brilliant!
https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/charred-summer-squash
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Here is a wonderful recipe using squash and tomatoes from CSA members Emily and Brian Nelson. We devoured it last night!
Brian said he takes sliced or cubed squash and tosses it with oregano, garlic, olive oil, s and p and spreads on a cookie sheet, tops with cherry or diced tomato, capers and calamata olives, cooks at 375 until it is close to done, tops with shrimp tossed in olive oil, oregano garlic, lemon, s and p, and spreads out over the squash and tops with feta then bakes until shrimp are opaque.
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Summer Squash Gratin
From A Boat, A Whale, and A Walrus by Renee Erickson
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Mix 1 pound grated squash with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander and let sit for 15 minutes.  Squeeze the squash between your hands over the sink to remove excess water, blot with paper towels, and spread out in an 8-inch baking pan.  Season with ½ teaspoon more kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste, and 2 tablespoons roughly chopped tarragon leaves.  Pour ½ cup heavy cream evenly over the zucchini, top with ¼ pound grated Gruyere cheese, and bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F, until browned and bubbling.  Serve 

Shelling Pea, Corn, and Squash Ragout
From Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison
“I finish this with a little cream, which is so good with corn.  Playing with the corn theme, I serve it with stone-ground corn grits or with firm polenta, cut into triangles and grilled.  Corn is always good with grilled chicken or pork, so this ragout would be a good match, but made with care, this dish stands handsomely on its own.”

1 cup shelled fresh southern peas (or as many as you can amass)
1 bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 frying peppers, seeded and cut into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 pound summer squash, cut into small wedges
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cups corn kernels plus their milk
1 pound tomatoes, seeded and neatly diced, the juice reserved and strained
5 basil leaves, finely sliced
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Handful of small tomatoes, halved
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Put the shelling peas in a pan, add the bay, thyme, and water to cover, and bring to a boil.  Simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes for black-eyed peas or possibly longer for other types.  When done season them with salt and pepper and set aside while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a sauté pan over high heat.  Add the peppers and sauté until the skin has started to wrinkle and brown in places and the peppers have softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the vinegar, turn off the heat, and slide the peppers around the pan until the vinegar has evaporated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Wipe out the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and return it to high heat.  Add the squash and cook, turning often, until browned in places, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid.  Measure it and add water to total ¾ cup.  Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the corn, diced tomatoes, and the peas and their cooking water.  Season with ½ teaspoon salt, some pepper, and half the basil.  Cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes, adding the sautéed squash during the last few minutes.  Stir in the cream and, when hot, taste for salt and season with pepper.
Slide the ragout into a warmed serving dish.  Strew the sautéed peppers and the halved tomatoes over the vegetables along with the remaining basil and serve.

Slow-Cooked Squash with Butter and Basil
From Cooking in the Moment by Andrea Reusing
Serves 4 as a side dish

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
Kosher salt
4 cups 3/4 –inch cubed squash
10 fresh basil leaves, torn into strips

Over very low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a heavy saucepan.  Add the onion and season with ½ teaspoon salt.  Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and slowly sauté, stirring occasionally, for to 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent and tender.  If at any time the onions begin to brown, add a tablespoon of water.
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Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the squash, and season with 1 teaspoon salt.  Cover and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes, until the squash is just tender and beginning to fall apart but still has its bright yellow color.  Add the basil and immediately stir it in to prevent the steam from turning black.  Cook, covered, for another couple of minutes, until the basil is wilted.

Fried Squash/Zucchini Spaghetti
From My Father’s Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow

¾ lb spaghetti
Coarse salt
3 zucchini, very thinly sliced (but thicker than paper thin or they will just burn)
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
½ cup pasta water, to thin
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Boil the spaghetti in salted water until just al dente. Meanwhile, toss the zucchini with the flour. Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat and add as much zucchini as will fit in a single layer. Cook, stirring and flipping occasionally, until well browned and a little crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove the zucchini to a plate and sprinkle with coarse salt. Repeat until you’ve cooked all of the zucchini.
Meanwhile, whisk the cheese together with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in ¼ cup of the pasta water, adding a bit more if necessary. You want the consistency to be creamy. Drain the spaghetti and add to the bowl with the Parmesan mixture. Toss together, season with salt and pepper, and fold in two-thirds of the fried zucchini and all of the basil.
To serve, portion the pasta into four shallow bowls and evenly distribute the rest of the zucchini on top of each, along with a couple of gratings of Parmesan.

Scalloped Summer Squash with Cheese
From The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne

3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds summer squash
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat the butter, add the onion, garlic, and green pepper and sauté until tender and light brown.  Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, while preparing the squash.

Peel the squash if the skin is not tender and cut into slices or cubes.  Put in a saucepan with ½ cup boiling water, cover tightly and cook until the squash is just tender.  Drain well.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Turn half the squash into a deep pie plate or casserole.  Cover with half the tomato sauce and half the cheese.  Repeat the layers.
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Bake until the cheese topping is bubbly and beginning to brown.

Eggplant, Tomato, and Zucchini (or Squash) Gratin
From Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison
 
1 eggplant
Sea salt
3 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the dish
1 large onion, sliced crosswise
3 plump garlic cloves, smashed with a knife
1 lb. tomatoes, peeled and quartered (I never peel my tomatoes)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground pepper
12 ounces zucchini (or squash), sliced on the diagonal about 1/3 inch thick
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Finishing touches
1 large garlic clove
Sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 teaspoons chopped oregano, or a scant teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
 
Quarter the eggplant lengthwise, then cut each quarter crosswise into slices about 1/3 inch thick.  Unless the eggplant is very fresh, salt the slices lightly and set aside while you prepare the other vegetables, then blot dry.
 
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil an 8 by 10-inch or 10-inch oval gratin dish.
 
Heat the oil in a wide skillet with a lid over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, and oregano and season with salt and pepper.  Cover the pan, turn the heat to high, and when the vegetables begin to sizzle, turn the heat to low.  Lay the zucchini over the top of the vegetables, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.   By this time, the vegetables should be soft.  Using a slotted spoon, turn them into the prepared gratin dish.  Stir the tomato paste into the liquid remaining in the skillet, then pour the liquid over the vegetables.
 
To finish the gratin, pound the garlic with a few pinches of salt in a mortar until smooth.  Add the basil, oregano, and oil and work together, forming a paste.  Spoon the paste over the vegetables and then intersperse the cheese among them.  Cover the surface with the bread crumbs.  Bake until the bread crumbs have browned and the vegetables are hot and bubbling, about 35 minutes.  Let the gratin settle for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.

Summer Squash Tartines with Basil and Lemon
From Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 to 2 summer squash, very thinly sliced
Scant 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 long pieces of Baguette, sliced diagonally
Olive oil and garlic for the bread
½ cup ricotta cheese
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Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, sauté for 1 minute or so to warm, then add a splash of water and cover. Cook over medium-high heat until the squash is soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, add the basil and lemon zest, toss it with the squash and then season with salt and pepper.
Lightly brush the cut surface of the baguette pieces with olive oil, then toast until golden and crisp. While the bread is hot, rub the cut surfaces with the garlic. Spread the baguette pieces with the ricotta then overlap the squash on top. Season with a bit more pepper and serve.

Shaved Squash, Basil, and Pine Nut
​From On Vegetables by Jeremy Fox
Serves 4

2 pounds summer squash
Kosher salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 lemons
24 medium-large basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
¼ cup Pesto
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted until golden brown and roughly chopped
A small wedge of parmigiana-reggiano cheese, to garnish
20 whole small basil leaves, to garnish


Using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, shave the long squash lengthwise into thin ribbons. Place the ribbons in a bowl, season with salt, and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Discard any water that leaches out. Add the olive oil and grate the lemon zest directly into the oil. Juice the lemons and add to the bowl along with the basil chiffonade. Toss to combine.

To serve, spoon pesto onto each of 4 plates. Gently arrange the squash ribbons on top. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and thinly shave Parmigiano into airy strips, using them to lightly dust the whole of the dish. Garnish with small basil leaves and baby squash.

Shaved Raw Squash and Fennel Salad
From Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield
Serves 6
“This is a creative alternative to a summer slaw or a solid pairing with any fish.”

1 to 2 fennel bulbs
2 medium or 3 small squash or zucchini, washed
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons Lemon Vinaigrette (below) or more as needed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Halve the fennel bulb lengthwise and cut away the hard core at the base. Using a mandolin, slice the fennel crosswise into very thin boomerang-shaped strips. Slice the squashes lengthwise on the mandolin into thin ribbons.

Place the squash and fennel in a nonreactive bowl and gently toss to combine. Add the cherry tomatoes and season all with salt and pepper. Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss lightly to dress. Add the basil and parsley, and taste for seasoning. If the salad seems dry, add more dressing as needed.​

Lemon Vinaigrette 1 ½ cups

Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from approximately 2 large lemons)
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a blender, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover and blend at medium speed until the ingredients are smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream until the dressing emulsifies – it will be lemony yellow and a little creamy. Taste for seasoning.

Buttered, Roasted Summer Squash with Basil
​From The Broad Fork by Hugh Acheson
Serves 4 as a side

“…a recipe for a quick dish like this can work you through a couple of pounds of squash in a jiffy.”

2 pounds medium mixed summer squash
1 tablespoon canola oil
Sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into postage-stamp-size pieces
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat a large cast-iron skillet in the oven for 20 minutes.
Trim the root ends off the squashes. Dress the whole squashes with the canola oil and sea salt to taste. When the skillet is blazing hot, add the squashes directly to the skillet in the oven; they should sizzle immediately. Roast the squashes for a total of 8 minutes, turning them every 2 minutes to ensure even browning. (If you find your pan is crowded, do this in two batches.)
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the butter and cook for 1 minute to coat the squashes. Place the squashes on a cutting board and cut into large bite-size pieces. In a bowl, toss the squash pieces and their juices with the lime juice, torn basil, and more sea salt to taste. Serve