Wood Working: Got summer squash? Glad you asked!

Talk about it

This summer we have been blessed with an abundance of summer squash. No, not zucchini.

I’ve had enough zucchini bread to turn me green for the rest of my life.

I’m talking here about yellow summer straight neck squash, the beautiful fruit that glistens on the vine and overwhelms gardeners with its fecundity. Just like zucchini but I say better, less grassy tasting.

But what do you do with all of it, as it grows inches overnight?

Marian Morash, author of the “Victory Garden Cookbook,” tells us to pick the fruit when small, under eight inches, when the glossy skin is still tender and the seeds are at a minimum.

Then what?

For years Beautiful Wife prepared them the way they do in Ohio, where we went to grad school. Simply wash them, dry them, slice them about a third of an inch thick, coat them with seasoned flour and fry them in butter until the exteriors are faintly crisp.

Such a preparation goes great with meat on the grill and other garden vegetables.

You can also put them in soups (at the last minute) or peel them and bake them and mash them, though that’s pretty bland stuff.

This year with our squash patch producing overtime, we’ve concocted some new recipes that take the summer squash beyond side-dish status.

Here’s a slightly more complicated preparation that serves as a fine main course, which has met with encouraging enthusiasm from dinner guests.

It’s our take-off on eggplant parmesan, but somewhat milder.

Take 10 squash about 10 inches long. Trim the ends off, then slice lengthwise into 1/3 inch strips.

Dip in a thin batter made with a commercial “shore lunch” fish mixture and milk or buttermilk.

Fry in oil until soft and slightly tan.

Put on toweling, pat off excess grease, and salt. Reserve.

In the same pan, sauté a chopped onion, a pound of pork sausage, to which has been added chili powder, cumin and garlic powder and one half cup of dry red wine.

Cook until caramelized and fairly dry.

While the meat is frying, grate a half cup of parmesan and a full cup of grated mozzarella. Set aside.

In a greased cake pan, put in a layer of squash.

Sprinkle with one small can of Rotello diced tomatoes with cilantro.

On top of the tomatoes, sprinkle half of both cheeses.

Layer the cheeses with squash.

On top of the squash, spread the cooked sausage.

Layer sausage with squash, and top with remaining cheese.

Onto the cheese pour a mixture of one cup half and half and two beaten eggs.

Sprinkle fresh breadcrumbs and parsley on top and bake at 350 F. until set; about 45 minutes.

Pretty darn good!

And squash keep coming. You can cut them in half lengthwise, scoop out the flesh, chop it up and fry it in olive oil along with ground lamb and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme) and a chopped tomato.

Fill hollowed out squash with mixture, top with grated parmesan or crumbled feta cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted.

Italians never let anything go to waste, which brings us to our next summer squash recipe.

The male blossoms of the summer squash do not bear fruit. You can tell them from the female because of the blossom’s genitalia. Italians like to pick these unbearable blossoms, dip them in a light tempura batter and deep fry them.

They’re delish in their own right, but if you want to ramp up the recipes, mix equal parts of ground pink bologna (or mortadella if you can get it), grated parmesan, fresh breadcrumbs.

Bind it with an egg and stuff it into the bottoms of male squash blossoms. Mold the petals around the mixture and twist the ends, so each looks like a torpedo.

Dip in tempura batter or any fish batter you have and deep fry until crisp.

Serve hot.

Finally, if this sounds like over gilding the lily, just let the squash grow large. They’ll harden like a winter squash and you can use them to throw at squirrels which will soon be digging up your lawn.

Dave would like to hear from you. Phone him at 715-426-9554.

Tags: dave wood, opinion, columns, food