Fun fact - when I was a kid, my birthday dinner always included squash casserole. Actually, every year, the entire requested menu was fried pork chops, squash casserole, and chess pie. (Tell me you’re Southern without telling me you’re Southern.) Strange favorites for a kid, but boy do I love summer squash.
(Which is kind of a kick in the teeth since every single one of my squash and zucchini plants got that dreaded squash vine borer bug thing and died this year. Also, I chased a giant bunny around the garden yesterday, which I thought I had thoroughly rabbit-proofed. So things are going well…)
Anyways, no worries, I’ll just have to get my squash fix while loading up at the market!
For me, it’s kind of like that scene in Forrest Gump when Bubba is talking about all the ways he loves shrimp - but with squash. Fried squash, roasted squash, stewed squash, squash casserole, squash gratin, squash and pasta, squash and… you get the point.
So this week, I’m sharing a couple of squash-is-the-star type recipes. The Roasted Ratatouille is one I have been working on for a long time, and the Summer Squash Tart is the result of a weekend brainstorm when I had plenty of taste-testers around. Both recipes work as side dishes (lovely with a grilled meat) or as a vegetarian main dish. (As always, recipes down below!)
In a traditional ratatouille, each vegetable is cooked separately in a large pan, then stewed together in a tomato sauce. I wanted to streamline the process a little, and I love the crisp, caramelized edges and deep flavors of a roasted vegetable, so I decided to cook the vegetables in the oven while I made a simple stove-top tomato sauce. Once stirred together and simmered for only a few minutes, it was just the mouth-watering ratatouille I was looking for. The addition of the capers (or olives) may not be traditional, but that pop of briny acidity is perfect in this rich dish. I snuck in the recipe for Creamy Parmesan Polenta because it’s so darn good with ratatouille! Highly recommend.
The Summer Squash Tart utilizes a couple of store bought helpers (hello puff pastry and Boursin cheese) to create a savory base layer for tender ribbons of squash and zucchini piled on top. It makes quite the presentation.
So, happy squash season! Go out and celebrate! Maybe I’ll make a squash casserole next month for my birthday. With chess pie for dessert. Yep, now I want that.
MONDAY - Vodka Pasta and Roasted Veggies
My one-pan pasta with vodka sauce is always a top request around here. And as easy as it is, how can I say no? I’ll roast some extra veggies we have from the weekend’s market haul and pull out a frozen focaccia bread to toast up, because if there’s sauce, there should be bread.
TUESDAY - Pizza Sandwiches
Pizza sandwiches are a pretty popular thing right now. At least the internet tells me they are. Similar to this one here, you take pizza dough, drizzle it with olive oil, fold it in half, and bake it. Then when you take it out of the oven, it opens right back up, and you can stuff it with all kinds of good things! I have some pizza dough left over from our calzones a couple of weeks ago and thought this was a fun idea!
WEDNESDAY - Chicken Cutlets with Peach and Arugula Salad
I’m envisioning this as “simple and elegant”. (Much like I’m sure people describe me.) Juicy market peaches, fresh mozzarella, and arugula with a lemon vinaigrette make a wonderful salad to go alongside a crispy pan-fried chicken cutlet for a light summer dinner.
THURSDAY - Pesto Tortellini and Grilled Chicken
Store-bought cheese tortellini tossed in homemade pesto (I made a big double batch a couple of weeks ago and froze it small containers just the right size for a pasta dinner) with sliced grilled chicken. If I have time, I’ll slow roast some grape tomatoes to scatter over the top.
FRIDAY - Friday Night Pick-up
SATURDAY - Dinner at YaYa’s (the in-laws!)
Pot roast and all the sides! (Thanks to a cooking show featuring a roast and a father-in-law who said “ooh that looks good”!)
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s!
I don’t know how we’ll top last weekend’s birthday meals, but he mentioned he still has some ribs in the freezer, which I think would be great with some twice baked potatoes…
LUNCHES for this week -
Chicken caesar salads are having a moment - I’ve been seeing them in other articles, and newsletters, and all over social media right now. (Mostly controversies about where it actually originated and how people are adding so many things it’s not a true caesar anymore.) Then, I saw a chicken caesar pasta salad on Instagram, and felt inspired to make my own! So I’ll be one of those people straying from the true caesar and use my chili crisp caesar dressing to jazz it up and add tomatoes for a pop of color!
EXTRAS for this week
I’ll be working on putting together a few things for a cousin with a new baby. And if I have time, I have an idea for a peach crisp floating around in my head.
Roasted Ratatouille
Makes 6-8 servings.
Roasted Vegetables
· 3 medium Yellow Squash (about 1 pound), ¾-1 inch dice
· 2 medium Zucchini (about 1 pound), ¾-1 inch dice
· 1 medium Eggplant (about 1 pound), ¾-1 inch dice
· 1 Sweet Bell Pepper (yellow, red, or orange), ¾-1 inch dice
· 3 cloves Garlic, minced
· 2 teaspoons fresh minced Rosemary (will need more below)
· 2 teaspoons fresh minced Oregano (will need more below)
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· 1/8 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· ¼ cup Olive Oil
Tomato Sauce
· 1 medium Onion, diced
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· 1/8 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 2 cloves Garlic, minced
· 1 can (28 ounces) Whole Peeled Tomatoes
· 1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
· 1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
· ½ teaspoon White Sugar
· 2 teaspoons fresh minced Rosemary
· 2 teaspoons fresh minced Oregano
Extra
· ¼ cup Capers, drained and rinsed, OR ¼ cup halved Kalamata Olives
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
· Parmesan Cheese for serving, if desired
For the roasted vegetables – preheat the oven to 425 and arrange the rack in the upper third. In a large bowl, combine the squash, zucchini, eggplant, pepper, garlic, rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well and spread in an even layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stir, and roast for 10 more minutes until vegetables are browned around the edges and tender.
While the vegetables roast, make the sauce – In a large skillet with deep sides, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, red pepper flakes, sugar, rosemary, and oregano and stir well while breaking up the tomatoes with your spoon or a potato masher. Reduce heat to medium-low or low, cover, and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the vegetables are done, add them to the tomato sauce and gently stir them in. Cook everything together for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in capers or olives and fresh basil.
The ratatouille can be served as a side dish with grilled or roasted meats or as a vegetarian main dish with pasta or polenta.
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Makes 4-6 servings.
· 2 ½ cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
· 1 cup Heavy Cream
· 1 teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or store brand)
· 1 cup dry, uncooked Polenta (see note below)
· 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
· ½ tablespoons Butter
In a medium sized saucepan, heat the broth, cream, and salt until simmering.
Slowly whisk in the polenta and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed and polenta has thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese and butter until melted and smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest. Stir again and serve.
NOTE – I like the Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Corn Polenta.
Summer Squash Tart
4 servings as a vegetarian main course, 8-10 servings as a side or appetizer
· 1 Puff Pastry Sheet, thawed
· 1 Garlic and Herb Boursin Cheese (5.3 ounces), room temperature
· 1 medium Zucchini Squash
· 2 small Yellow Squash
· 1 teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· Cracked Black Pepper
· 1 Egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
· 2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped mixed Herbs (basil, tarragon, parsley, etc)
Preheat oven to 425 and arrange a rack in the upper third. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a large, rimmed baking sheet, set aside.
While oven preheats, use a vegetable peeler to slice long, wide ribbons from the zucchini and squash. Place the ribbons in a colander in the sink and toss with the 1 teaspoon of salt. Let them drain for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the thawed puff pastry on the piece of parchment paper, unfold, and roll out to a slightly larger rectangle, about 11x13-inches.
Spread the Boursin cheese over the puff pastry in an even layer, leaving a ½-inch border around the sides. Lift the edges of the parchment paper and move the parchment and puff pastry to the baking sheet.
Lay out a large section of double-layered paper towels and scatter the drained squash on top. Use another sheet of paper towels to gently press down and dry the vegetables.
A little bit at a time, evenly pile the squash ribbons over the puff pastry and Boursin cheese. Crack black pepper over the top.
Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the edges of the puff pastry.
Bake the tart for 20-22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Scatter the fresh herbs over the top. Cut into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTES: This is a very customizable tart! Add caramelized onions or nestle halved grape tomatoes in the squash ribbons. Shaved parmesan cheese would also be good over the top.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
All recipes categorized by type can be found in the index!