Veggie gardeners know that nothing grows faster than squash. Fortunately, it’s a surprisingly versatile vegetable, so use this summer’s bumper crop to make just about every course of your meals.
Photo by Gina Moore
LEMON SQUASH CUSTARD PIE
SERVES 8
1 pie crust (homemade or store-bought), pre-baked and cooled
1 cup grated yellow squash (1 small- to medium-sized squash)
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place pie crust in a 9-inch glass pie baking dish and line with parchment paper; weigh down with pie weights. Bake in oven 7–8 minutes. Remove pie shell from oven and remove pie weights and parchment. Allow to cool.
Peel squash and cut in half. Scoop out seeds and grate. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes or until filling is set and top is lightly golden. To prevent crust from over-browning, place a pie shield over the edges. Allow pie to cool slightly, and serve warm.
Chocolate Zucchini Nut Bread
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
MAKES 1 9-INCH LOAF
1 cup walnut or pecan halves, toasted and chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules
½ teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)*
Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and flour a 9-by-4½-inch loaf pan and set aside. Spread walnut or pecan halves in a pie plate and toast them for about 8 minutes until fragrant. Let cool. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, fat-free yogurt, coffee granules and extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the grated zucchini. Gently fold in the toasted walnuts and stir until batter is evenly moistened. Batter will be thick. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake about 60–70 minutes until the loaf has risen and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing from pan and serving.
Herb Squash Fritters
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
MAKES 8 LARGE FRITTERS
2 medium-large yellow squash, grated (4–5 cups)1 small, sweet onion, grated or finely chopped
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, optional
2 large eggs
½ cup chopped parsley or scallions (or combination)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
1–2 tablespoons canola oil for frying (more as needed)
Red pepper jelly, for garnish (or salsa)
In a large mixing bowl, combine squash, onion, cheese, eggs, parsley/scallions, salt and peppers. Mix until well blended. Add flour and cornmeal and mix until just blended—do not overmix.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Using a large ice cream scoop (or large spoon), drop scoops of squash mixture into skillet and flatten with the back of scoop. Fry 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Cook in batches—do not crowd skillet. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Remove fritters from skillet and place on a paper towel. Plate and serve with red pepper jelly or topping of choice.
Squash Au Gratin
Photo by Karen Hermann
SERVES 6–8
1 cup olive oil plus more for greasing pan
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch strips
5 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 small zucchinis cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
2 small squashes cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 large plum tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
½–1 cup grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the onion-pepper mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the zucchini, squash, 4 tablespoons oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to coat evenly. Arrange the zucchini, squash and tomato slices on the onion-pepper mixture, overlapping the rows. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 40–45 minutes. (If you have squash and zucchini left over, refrigerate in a plastic bag and saute with sliced onions for another meal.) Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese and thyme on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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Chef’s tips
Drain after grating. Zucchini tends to have a lot of excess moisture. Therefore, after grating zucchini, place it in a colander and allow it to drain before adding it to your recipes. Alternately, after grating, you can place the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.
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