Sauteed Summer Squash
As any home gardener knows and their neighbors are steeled against, once the summer squashes start coming in, there's no stopping them. Like their winter cousins, these gourds are among the easiest plants to grow -- and they are a favorite of summer cooks. Ovens dispense loaves of bake-sale zucchini bread as fast as an assembly line of moms and kids can mix them, while outside, the grillmaster refrains from turning lobes of grilled squash until those all-important hatch marks are seared into place. Zucchini layered with tomatoes and herbs bakes into a tian rich enough to accompany a special meal, while some cook their zucchini and tomatoes "grandma style" on the stovetop. Disks of fresh yellow squash enliven summer salads, with enough left over for pickling with curry and onions. Even the blossoms find their way to the table, dipped and fried as a fancy appetizer, or dancing on a pizza crust with a handsome partner of fresh ricotta.
My favorite way to eat summer squash is a simple saute. Done right, a saute brings out the character of these wonderful, plentiful vegetables: nicely browned and succulent, without the pulpy quality they can so readily express through other cooking methods. This savory saute is the perfect topping for a pile of lunchtime pasta, or the perfect side dish for a weeknight dinner. Cooking the squash in shifts keeps it brown and flavorful; with practice, you will be able to tell with just how many pieces to load up your pan. But please don't skip the cleansing and salting steps --they're really not that much work, and they make all the difference in the final dish.
SAUTEED SUMMER SQUASH
If you wish, do the cleaning and salting step early in the day; then when it comes time to cook, all you'll have to do is dry the squash and cook it.
2 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
1 small yellow onion (Vidalia works well)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Several sprigs fresh thyme
1. Fill a bowl large enough to hold the squash with cold water. Following the package directions, add a few drops of vegetable cleaner to the water. Dunk the squash in the water and gently swirl. Drain the water and wash the squash gently until cool water to remove residue. Place into a colander to drain.
2. Place a clean cutting board near the colander. Fill a small bowl or clean teacup with kosher salt and place near the colander.
3. Lay each cleaned squash on a cutting board. It is okay if the squash is still a bit wet. Use a sharp knife to slice off and discard both rounded ends of the squash. Cut the squash crosswise into coins approximately 1/4 inch thick.
4. Once you have cut each squash into coins, gently scrape the coins into the colander and sprinkle the coins liberally with kosher salt. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have cut and salted all of the squash.
5. Give the colander a shake to ensure that all of the squash is salted. Set the colander into a larger bowl to drain for a minimum of one hour.
6. While the salted squash is draining, place a saute pan on the stovetop and drizzle with a three-count of olive oil.
7. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut across the quarters to form dice. Scrape the diced onion into the saute pan.
8. When ready to cook, turn the burner to medium and saute the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown, approximately 4 minutes. Place the serving dish for the squash safely near the stovetop.
9. While the onion is sauteing, remove the colander from the large bowl and set aside. Drain the bowl of the water that has collected from the salted squash and dry the interior with clean paper towels.
10. Hold the colander containing the squash over the sink and shake vigorously. Transfer the squash from the colander to the clean bowl a few pieces at a time, patting dry with clean paper towels as you go.
11. Once the onion starts to brown, add a pat of butter to the skillet. Add a layer of squash, being careful not to crowd the pan. Saute until the squash is golden brown, turning once, approximately five minutes.
12. Once the squash cooks, transfer it to the serving dish. It is okay if some of the onions go with it. If the pan is dry, add a pat of butter to the pan. Add another layer of squash and cook as described in step 11.
13. While the second round of squash is cooking, add several grindings of fresh black pepper to the cooked squash in the serving dish. Hold a stem of thyme over the cooked squash, and strip the leaves in the opposite direction of their growth onto the cooked squash. Cover the dish with its lid or a loose piece of aluminum foil to keep the squash warm.
14. Continue cooking the squash in single layers and adding to the serving dish until all the squash is cooked.
My favorite way to eat summer squash is a simple saute. Done right, a saute brings out the character of these wonderful, plentiful vegetables: nicely browned and succulent, without the pulpy quality they can so readily express through other cooking methods. This savory saute is the perfect topping for a pile of lunchtime pasta, or the perfect side dish for a weeknight dinner. Cooking the squash in shifts keeps it brown and flavorful; with practice, you will be able to tell with just how many pieces to load up your pan. But please don't skip the cleansing and salting steps --they're really not that much work, and they make all the difference in the final dish.
SAUTEED SUMMER SQUASH
If you wish, do the cleaning and salting step early in the day; then when it comes time to cook, all you'll have to do is dry the squash and cook it.
2 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
1 small yellow onion (Vidalia works well)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Several sprigs fresh thyme
1. Fill a bowl large enough to hold the squash with cold water. Following the package directions, add a few drops of vegetable cleaner to the water. Dunk the squash in the water and gently swirl. Drain the water and wash the squash gently until cool water to remove residue. Place into a colander to drain.
2. Place a clean cutting board near the colander. Fill a small bowl or clean teacup with kosher salt and place near the colander.
3. Lay each cleaned squash on a cutting board. It is okay if the squash is still a bit wet. Use a sharp knife to slice off and discard both rounded ends of the squash. Cut the squash crosswise into coins approximately 1/4 inch thick.
4. Once you have cut each squash into coins, gently scrape the coins into the colander and sprinkle the coins liberally with kosher salt. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have cut and salted all of the squash.
5. Give the colander a shake to ensure that all of the squash is salted. Set the colander into a larger bowl to drain for a minimum of one hour.
6. While the salted squash is draining, place a saute pan on the stovetop and drizzle with a three-count of olive oil.
7. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut across the quarters to form dice. Scrape the diced onion into the saute pan.
8. When ready to cook, turn the burner to medium and saute the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown, approximately 4 minutes. Place the serving dish for the squash safely near the stovetop.
9. While the onion is sauteing, remove the colander from the large bowl and set aside. Drain the bowl of the water that has collected from the salted squash and dry the interior with clean paper towels.
10. Hold the colander containing the squash over the sink and shake vigorously. Transfer the squash from the colander to the clean bowl a few pieces at a time, patting dry with clean paper towels as you go.
11. Once the onion starts to brown, add a pat of butter to the skillet. Add a layer of squash, being careful not to crowd the pan. Saute until the squash is golden brown, turning once, approximately five minutes.
12. Once the squash cooks, transfer it to the serving dish. It is okay if some of the onions go with it. If the pan is dry, add a pat of butter to the pan. Add another layer of squash and cook as described in step 11.
13. While the second round of squash is cooking, add several grindings of fresh black pepper to the cooked squash in the serving dish. Hold a stem of thyme over the cooked squash, and strip the leaves in the opposite direction of their growth onto the cooked squash. Cover the dish with its lid or a loose piece of aluminum foil to keep the squash warm.
14. Continue cooking the squash in single layers and adding to the serving dish until all the squash is cooked.
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