Spicy Pan-roasted Summer Squash, Corn kernels, and Roasted Tomatoes Salad

The title says it all, nothing much to this dish, except the crisp freshness of late summer vegetables.

Roast or grill the corn on the cob, brush with Cajun seasoning, shave the kernels and toss with some lemon juice, keep handy.

Home-garden summer squash and tomatoes came in handy for this quick and easy salad.

Sweet Cherry tomatoes and golden pear tomatoes are two of my favorites to munch on as snack.

Dice the summer squash and onions and pan roast them in a cast iron skillet, adding a pinch of Cajun seasoning and olive oil; and while the skillet is still very hot, add the cherry tomatoes and allow to plump and almost burst with juiciness.

Combine the corn, squash, onions, and tomatoes, garnish with herbs from the garden. I went with some fresh Oregano.

Serve at room temperature for a sweet and bright summer evening salad.

Pipián Rojo with Charred Summer Squash and Zucchini

Pipián sauce, be it verde or rojo, I imagine is delicious when done right by someone who knows it intimately from their experience and cultural influence.

Me, on the other hand, not being Hispanic, sort of wing it based on tasting it someplace and reading about it.

The combination of ingredients are interesting enough, and in a way familiar enough from my intimacy with Indian cuisine, that I am at peace with this version. Layering of flavors for Indian curries, starting with fresh paste of aromatics and herbs, and adding in spice mix and nuts that are roasted and ground just before use, is something I am used to. In that sense, the Pipián sauce seemed not very different since it involves a similar layering of flavors as well.

Home garden summer squash was bountiful. Roasting/Charring them and serving with the Pipián sauce seemed like a fun thing to do.

Of course, kids turn up their noses at roasted summer squash, and squash of any kind, but I've got to keep offering it to them so that someday it can become an acquired taste, much like I acquired an all-consuming passion for eggplant with repeated exposure from childhood after staunchly refusing it as a kid, thanks to my persistent mom.

Roasted squash and zucchini: Heat the broiler, brush the squash with olive oil and place under broiler till browned on the top and cooked on the inside.

Alternately, char it over open flame or grill. Or, heat the cast iron skillet to high and place the cut side down, brushed with oil, and allow to brown and develop flavors, flip and cook the skin-side.

Zucchini gets so tender and sweet when roasted, it hardly needs any accompaniment to enjoy it.

Pipián Rojo sauce

Ingredients
4 dried ancho-pasilla chilies
4 dry Japanese red chilies
1 small fresh white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large vine-ripened tomato, diced (optional)
4 cups stock or water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste

for the powdered seeds+nuts:
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup raw hulled green pumpkin seeds


Preparation

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, saute the onion, garlic, tomatoes; add the chilies stock, spice powder, salt, cover and simmer till aromatic and cooked through
2. Meanwhile, dry toast the nuts+seeds and grind them to fine powder and keep handy
3. In a blender, pour in the coarse sauce from step 1 above and blend to a smooth consistency, then strain to remove chili skin and seeds and bits and pieces; return to pot and allow to simmer some more by adding stock as needed for desired consistency
4. Whisk in the nuts+seeds powder into the simmering sauce, over low heat, allow to cook some more
5. Taste and adjust salt and serve warm or at room temperature as a dip or sauce for chicken or veggies

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.

Home Garden Summer Squash Gratin with Lemon Pepper

A super simple dish that comes together quickly, this summer squash and zucchini gratin is a wonderful side.

The home garden Summer Squashes were ready to be harvested .

Some of them were getting rather large at which point they don't taste as tender and delicious, so, it was time to use them fresh.

Grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese with just a touch of Panko crumbs form the crusty bottom and tops. A generous sprinkling of lemon pepper and crushed red pepper flakes adds the bite needed to bring this rather bland summer squash alive. Some fresh oregano and thyme add a wonderful aroma as well.

Arrange the slices in a baking dish that has a bed of cheese; top with seasoning, more cheese, and Panko crumbs. Bake in a 425°F oven for 20-25 minutes till cheese browns and crisps to your liking. Drain any liquids that might collect from the squashes.

Roasted Summer Squash Olive Naan Pizza

Every once in a while, knowing that not everything has to be made from scratch and labored over, I resort to putting together a quick but fairly healthy and delectable dinner on the fly.

Home garden scallop squash was handy. I harvested it a little later than I had intended but it was still fine. The scallop squash is a favorite - more for its shape and beauty than its versatility.

The summer squashes were quite ready, and I was thinking of ways to use them everyday. It's not a top favorite with kids, but, the adults enjoy it in a variety of dishes.

I also had a jar of Konex Pinjur I am addicted to: http://konex-tiva.com/spread-and-dips

Plus some olive naan sneaked home with me from the store the previous weekend, even though it was not on the list. Quelle horreur!

Anyway, it felt like a pizza kind of evening. Not the made-from-scratch that we are spoilt on by the other adult. Just a quick pizza on a flatbread is what I had the energy and time for. 

Of course, homemade Olive Pita or any of the homemade Naan would be fine for this quick pizza crust. I usually have a stash of these homemade flatbreads in the freezer. But, since the whole wheat olive naan decided to come home with me, it seemed like the thing to use. 

Chopped bell peppers, shallots, celery, and the home garden scallop squash, but kept the cherry tomatoes whole as I love the way they plump up on cooking and then burst open when biting into it.

Pan-roast the squash, along with onions and celery and other veggies, to make a fantastic combination of toppings for the pizza.

Pinjur, the red pepper, eggplant, tomato relish, is the pizza sauce, so to speak. Just an amazing burst of flavors that make this pizza rather unique and Mediterranean.

Some mozzarella and feta for the cheesy goodness, in moderation, of course.

Bake in 425°F oven for about 8 - 10 minutes. 

Paired with a simple salad made with homegarden Butter lettuce, Romaine, and Kale, tossed with some Parmesan and Greek vinaigrette, this was a completely satisfying weeknight meal.

Home-made Miso

Recently, as I was turning the jars of home-canned goodies upside down as I periodically do, and was rearranging them bringing older ones forward and sending more recent ones to the back of the shelf, a wonderfully aged batch of home-made Miso presented itself. The label on it confirmed that it is over 2 years old. What a treat! We had forgotten about it.

The recipe is from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, a book we treasure at home. Home-made Sauerkraut and Baechu Kimchi have become a staple, with D easily making a batch on and off, all thanks to this book.

Just a little bit of this home-made rich deep miso makes a wonderful bowl of miso soup, which along with a generous portion of roasted baby squash made a sumptuous weeknight meal.

Squash and New Potatoes in Lemon Pepper Sauce

With those new potatoes and squashes making more of an appearance in the market these days, it almost feels like summer. Almost. The extra layer of fleece I sport to keep the chill at bay reminds me it is not. Not to mention dodging a few hailstones a few days ago.

Anyway, this chunky vegetable dish flavored with red pepper flakes and Tellichery black pepper and lemon zest in a tomato-based sauce was such a pick-me-up for the soggy weather that I wanted to jot it down here.

Ingredients
1 Zucchini, 1 Mexican Yellow Squash, cut into chunks
10 Yellow wax beans, 10 green beans, par cooked
5 New baby potatoes, par-cooked

1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced

Flavoring:
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek
1 Tablespoon ground Lemon pepper mix
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup organic tomato sauce

Cilantro, chives, spring onions for garnish
salt to taste

1Tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, sautée the onions and garlic a bit, then add all the veggies and a pinch of salt.

Stir in the Flavoring ingredients, all except lemon juice and lemon zest, stir well adding some water if the sauce is too thick.

Cover and simmer for a few minutes till flavors meld, and potatoes are cooked; taste and adjust flavors.

Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest, sprinkle extra red pepper flakes if preferred, garnish and serve warm.

Home-garden Yellow Squash, Chard, Green beans, Tomatoes

Another delicious meal straight from the garden: the yellow Mexican squash was ready to be picked. Some chard, green chilies, green beans and tomatoes were ready as well. They all came together for this simple vegetable medley, with some corn kernels and onions.


Simply sauté together till vegetables are cooked but not mushy. Add favorite spices. I used one of my favorite store-bought paste: Maggi™ "Kitchen Secrets"™ Bhuna Masala Paste for Vegetables and Dal.