Sage Butter Summer Squash with Dill Garnish

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds summer squash
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 3-4 large garlic cloves
• 4-5 sage leaves
• sea salt, to taste
• lemon, to taste
• dill, to taste

Directions:

Slice the summer squash into half lengthwise, then slice horizontally into small pieces (~1/4 inch) and set aside.  Finely mince garlic and set aside.  Finely mince sage leaves and set aside.

Melt butter into a large pan on medium heat.  Add summer squash and garlic and begin cooking, turning periodically.  After about 5 minutes, sprinkle in the sage.  Cook until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Once done, add a bit of salt (perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) and squeeze lemon juice over the top (perhaps the juice of 1/2 to a whole lemon).  Toss.  Then sprinkle dill across the squash—a light even coating on the top—and toss once more before serving.

Myrtle's Note:  To start, I am a bit vague on the final ingredients, because I made this recipe with a single summer squash, essentially quartering the ingredients.  I will make more next time, even if I don't have guests.  I decided to mince the sage, because I wanted more flavor than I thought would come through by just putting the leaves whole in the pan.  By cooking slowly, the minced garlic browned and became a bit nutty, but did not burn.  I was concerned about the fresh sage, so I waited a while before adding it.  As I squeezed the lemon, some of the pulp fell in, which I thought was serendipitous.  The combination of flavors was rather tasty.  Certainly, this will be a new staple in my larder.


Yield:  4 servings

Source:  http://food52.com/recipes/18035-sage-butter-summer-squash-with-dill-garnish

Sautéed Summer Squash with Ginger, Garlic, and White Wine

Ingredients:

• Summer squash
• Minced ginger
• Minced garlic
• Sea salt
• Cracked pepper
• White wine
• Butter

Directions:

[This is another Myrtle-doesn't-measure recipe that I wanted to remember because I forget the things I like to eat, that I know how to cook, and this bit of inspiration turned out rather tasty to me.]

Wash the summer squash, cut off both ends back to the seeds, and slice into rounds.  I think of a summer squash per person as a serving.  The photo below shows one cooked.

Toss the slices into a large frying pan with butter, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.  I used, perhaps, a tablespoon of butter for the squash, but I would not use a tablespoon per squash.  By this I mean, when I am doubling or increasing quantities, I measure by eyeballing coverage of the bottom of the pan.  It should not dry out, but neither should the squash drown in everything.

I have linked to my favorite way of using garlic and ginger, specifically the rather convenient product by Gourmet Gardens.  So, my measuring is squishing out measurements of minced tubes.  In this case, I did about an inch or what might be a rounded teaspoon of both garlic and ginger.

Salt and pepper to taste.

I added the wine after the butter, salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic were all mixed around in the pan.  I had left over Savon Blanc and poured in a generous dumping from the bottle, knowing the alcohol would burn off as the squash cooked.  Somewhere between an 1/8 to a 1/4 cup, I would guess.

Sauté on medium heat, turning frequently until nicely browned.

Ritz Summer Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups sliced summer squash
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet or saute pan over medium-low heat. Add squash and garlic and cook until tender.

To a large bowl, add eggs and lightly whisk. Add cheese and milk and whisk into egg until well-combined. Add cooked squash and onions to egg mixture and stir well to combined. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet used to cook squash and onions. Add to squash casserole mixture. Add cayenne pepper, if using, along with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and pour squash casserole mixture into the baking dish. Top evenly with crushed Ritz crackers. 

Place in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes, or until top has lightly browned and casserole does not “jiggle” when the dish is moved.

Allow to sit for about 3 minutes before serving.

Myrtle's Note:  It is often hard to at least halve recipes, for the single person, but this one worked.  Since I do not like onions, I omitted the medium chopped onion that was to be cooked with the squash and substituted garlic.  I also added a couple of dashes of onion powder.  I actually browned/sautéd the squash instead of just cooking it until it was soft (translate that, my slices had brown crispy spots).  I also wondered about the "sleeve" of Ritz crackers because the only boxes I could find were squatty, not tall.  I ended up using about 2/3 of a sleeve for my halved recipe to have a nice thick coating.  Finally, I added extra cheese.  What could it hurt, right?  I cooked the halved recipe in a 6x6 Corning Ware casserole dish that I had.  

PS  I would LOVE a lesson on how you measure out cups of sliced summer squash

PS2  I happen to think "does not 'jiggle'" is the BEST cooking direction I have ever come across!!

Yield:  6-8

Source: http://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/02/16/squash-casserole-recipe/#.Uip46xaBjFK