Squash, squash, and more squash

After my oh-so-exciting excursion to Nova Scotia, I returned home to Georgia to find our yellow squash growing in a state of overwhelming abundance. We tried just about every way we could imagine to cook squash, and found a couple of really great options, including sautéed, stuffed, and curried. Even still, it doesn’t take long before you just can’t eat any more squash, and after weeks of picking, washing, chopping, blanching, and freezing, we were pretty much done. But we are well stocked for the winter!

 

 Our stuffed squash was a variation on a recipe from http://farmflavor.com.

Stuffed Squash
3 medium-large yellow squash
1 small, green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 small, fresh tomato, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
4 slices of bacon
kosher salt
ground black pepper
butter

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer whole squash for approximately 10 minutes or until soft. Remove squash and allow them to cool. Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the majority of the flesh from inside each half (leaving enough so the sides don't collapse). Chop the flesh that you removed and set aside.

 

In a skillet, fry the bacon until just crispy. Set aside to cool, then chop. Remove all but 2 Tbsp of the bacon renderings from the pan. Saute the onions and peppers for a few minutes in the renderings. Add the chopped squash and garlic and cook until all parts are just soft. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked vegetables, bacon, tomato, cheese, and bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the squash shells on a baking sheet. Spoon the filling in the shells until slightly heaping and well packed. Sprinkle with additional panko crumbs and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until squash is tender and crumbs are lightly browned.

 

Easy Squash on the Grill:

2-3 thinly sliced yellow squash

1 thinly sliced yellow onion

kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

olive oil

 

Combine the sliced squash and onions on one half of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss lightly. Fold the remaining half of the foil over the top of the vegetables. Seal the edges by folding over 2-3 times. Place the foil packet on indirect heat from a hot charcoal grill. Allow to cook 15-20 minutes, turning several times and flipping at lease once. Open packet carefully. If all of the vegetables are tender, serve.

 

We also made a fantastic Indian-style squash curry. I won't reproduce that recipe here because (having less experience with Indian food), I followed the instructions as written on http://simpleindianrecipes.com. I encourage you to look it up!  I served this curry with fresh Naan bread from the international food market in Atlanta (http://www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com/). If you live in or visit the Atlanta area, you should definitely check out this foodie paradise.

Once the summer heat finally put an end to the squash frenzy, it was time for tomatoes!

Photos by Jenn Ballard