Summer Squash Koftas

Yellow summer squash and patty pan (aka scallop) squash have been yielding fairly regularly in the garden this year.

Finding interesting ways to use them in recipes this summer is one of the enjoyable aspects of cooking with what I plant - especially, what survives my care and yields generously.

Summer squash is quite bland and watery and lends itself well to pairing with other stronger bolder flavors. This time, grated summer squash and beet greens are paired together to make the vegetarian kofta balls, which are served soaking in a bath of curry sauce.

Ingredients
For the kofta balls:
½ cup chopped beet greens
1½ cups grated, squeezed dry summer squash (save the squeezed out liquid)
½ Tbsp chili powder or cayenne pepper powder
½ cup chickpea flour
¼ cup coconut flour
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)


For the Kofta Curry Sauce:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped

1 Tablespoon garam masala
¼ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 cup water

1/2 to 2/3 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Preparation

1. Summer Squash and Beet Greens Kofta balls: Combine the ingredients, make a dough that can be shaped into balls; divide into 12 even-sized balls and deep fry in oil over medium heat so the insides are cooked through and the outsides are not charred
2. Spicy Kofta Curry sauce: Combine the chopped tomatoes and onions and grind to a fine paste; heat 1 Tbsp oil, add the ground paste with a sprinkling of salt and saute over medium heat till aromatic; add water and simmer till the sauce thickens and changes to a deeper richer color and is cooked through; add the rest of the curry sauce ingredients and simmer gently for 5 minutes till well-incorporated, adjust salt to taste
3. To Serve: Drop the kofta balls in the curry sauce and allow to soak up the flavors for a few minutes and serve warm with naan or rice.

Quinoa-Stuffed Scallop Squash

We are fortunate that within walking distance, there's an international farmer's market that is open on Sundays June through October. "International" because farmers/growers and vendors of Russian, Mexican, Hmong and Mien origin offer vegetables unique to their culture and ideally suited for their traditional dishes. Besides the fresh produce, there's usually music from various countries. A unicycle-riding bagpiper is a fixture as well - kids love to watch him perform - especially when he arranges to do a "flaming" bagpipe performance.

Anyway, I usually pick up veggies at random, whatever catches my fancy, and then decide how I am going to use them after safely settling them in my kitchen.

The scallop (aka patty pan) squashes were lovely. I couldn't resist. At 4 for a dollar, it felt like a steal.

Stuffed veggies are always fun. Stuffed peppers is a favorite. So, I decided to make stuffed scallop squash again. This time, the filling is veggie-loaded quinoa.

Ingredients
4 to 6 scallop squash

For the stuffing:
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ cup chopped colorful bell peppers
½ cup chopped green or red cabbage
½ red or yellow onion, diced finely
1 serrano chili chopped finely (optional)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation

1. Cut an opening at the stem part, save the top, and scoop the innards out of the scallop squash, leaving a fairly thick layer of flesh inside
2. Steam or simmer the scallop squash (top as well) in salted boiling water for a few minutes till tender, and plunge in ice/cold water to prevent over-cooking, and to preserve its shape.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan, saute the onions, chilies and bell peppers, add the the cabbage, then the quinoa and cook till veggies are wilted a bit and yet still crunchy; adjust salt and herbs or other flavors to taste
4. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the scallop squash, garnish with herbs and serve warm or at room temperature. I went with mint and fennel and some rosemary from my garden for garnish as those were the herbs I used for flavoring the quinoa as well, so carried over the same; but, even cilantro or parsley will be fine

Roasted Golden Beets, Purple Radish, Scallop Squash

A very simple dish, but, a huge favorite. The fresh golden beets and colorful radish from the farm were too good to pass up.

Red onions, Beet greens' stems, Radish green's stems came together with chunky cut vegetables in a hot cast iron skillet with a bit of oil to create this magic.

A dash of balsamic vinegar and white vinegar, plus some salt and black pepper is all the flavoring involved here.

Stuffed Scallop Squash

Despite a fairly cool summer, plants are yielding a few this year. We harvested some of my favorite summer squash - viz., Scallop Squash or Pattypan Squash as it is called.

Summer squashes have a thin skin, not too many seeds and pulp, and taste light and fresh. They barely need any cooking - just some steaming or sautéeing, or grilling or pan-roasting is enough to enjoy them.

Winter squashes, on the other hand, usually have thick skin, are slightly sweet, lots of pulp and seeds that need to be cleaned up before using.

Procedure is very simple: scoop out the innards of the scallop squash to make room for stuffing. The stuffing is made of creamy arboreo rice, with scooped out innards of the scallop squash, some onions and spices. Dunk the squash in boiling salted water for a few minutes to get it soft. Stuff with the stuffing and bake in the oven. Top with cheese and cranberries and walnuts/pine nuts.


Ingredients
3 or 4 medium scallop squash
stuffing:
1 cup arboreo rice or jasmine rice or any starchy rice
1 Tbsp curry powder
dried cranberries, toasted pine nuts and walnuts
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil or olive oil
2-3 Tbsp evaporated milk
½ cup finely chopped onions
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
scooped out innards of scallop squash
water or vegetable/chicken stock
grated colby jack or mozarella or any favorite cheese




Procedure

1. clean the squash, save the innards for the stuffing
2. immerse the cleaned squash in boiling salted water for about 8 minutes, till cooked a bit, but still firm; remove and pat dry
3. stuffing: sauté onions and garlic; add the rice, spices and squash pulp, sauté
4. add 3 cups of water/stock, cover and cook the rice till done; stir in the evaporated milk, dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts; set aside to cool a bit before stuffing the squash
5. heat the oven to 375°F
6. brush the outsides of the scallop squash with olive oil, stuff the squash and bake for about 25-30 minutes
7. add some freshly grated cheese, top with pine nuts and dried cranberries