Homage to Yellow Squash

As Summer has wound down, I am reminded of a vegetable that, perhaps second only to tomatoes, is emblematic of the season: yellow squash. Here I am trying 3 different preparations, each to highlight an aspect of the squash. The first is a roasted yellow squash soup, which showcases the sweet flavor of the squash. The second is a yellow squash casserole, which highlights the squash as a primary component in a dish that can stand alone as a meal. The third is in a purée, which uses the squash as a ‘mystery’ component, in a savory accompaniment.

In the photo, above, the dishes are served as an appetizer, but I prepared all of them full size, and the ingredient portions are given as such.

For the Soup

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized yellow squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 small sweet onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter
• olive oil (for roasting)
• Fried sage leaves (for garnish)
• Salt (to taste).

Start by preparing the vegetables for roasting. Cut the ends off the squash, and quarter each one lengthwise. Peel and slice the onion, and separate the rings – do not chop. Lightly coat the squash, onion and garlic with olive oil, and spread evenly on a large baking sheet. Place in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fully cooked and beginning to brown and blister. Remove for the oven and let cool.

After the vegetables are cool, add all of them to a food processor, along with the chicken broth, white pepper and nutmeg. Blend well to throughly purée the mixture. This is not a rustic preparation – you do not want any seeds or other whole chunks of anything in the mix, so do not be afraid to let the food processor do its thing.

Transfer the mix to a pot, and add the heavy cream, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add salt to taste, but remember, too much salt will destroy the sweet flavor you are trying to active. Serve hot in a bowl or cup, and garnish with the fried sage leaves.

For the Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized yellow squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 8 ounces of gruyere cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces country ham, finely diced
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 4 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

This is, more or less, a classic french preparation, but altered slightly with the use of country ham and panko, rather than regular ham, and normal bread crumbs.

Start by cutting the ham into a very small dice, the object being to create ‘ham bits’. Sauté them in a little butter until they begin to get crispy. Remove and drain them, and allow them to cool throughly.

Chop the squash into a 1/4 inch dice, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl, including the cooled ham bits, and fold the mix to evenly distribute all the components.

Transfer to a buttered casserole dish, and bake at 350 degrees, covered, for about 50 minutes. Finish by uncovering the casserole, and broiling under low heat to brown the top.

For the Purée 

Ingredients

• 3 medium sized yellow squash
• 1 large russet potato
• 1  1/2 tablespoons sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon salt

The purée is designed to be served as an accent to a meat dish, as shown above with a Pork Schnitzle, though any hearty cut of beef or pork will work.

Cut the potato and the squash into cubes and boil both until fully cooked. Drain and transfer to a food processor. Blend until extremely smooth. Add the sour cream, salt and butter and continue blend. You are trying to achieve an very smooth, silky and thin purée, so you may need to add more butter to achieve this. When the purée is the right consistency, remove form the food processor and fold in the chopped chives.

To serve, spread the purée on a plate, and top with the meat of your choice.