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Patty Pan Squash Recipe # 3

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Ranked #30,142 in Food & Cooking, #662,966 overall

Patty Pan Squash Recipe # 3 Patty Pan Squash, Sauteed with Onion, Fresh Basil and Topped with Crumbled Goat Cheese

Sauteed squash can bring up the flavor of any summer squash, and adding fresh herbs brings up even more flavor! This is a simple recipe that is delightful on a rainy summer day, especially right out of the pan. The photo is the second helping, as voracious me ate the first half! I can't help it - it's one of those bachelor instincts: when the ladies are out shopping for clothes for school, I don't waste the effort to clear the table, I "sample" right at the stove.

A Little Side Note about Patty Pan Squash

Pattypan squash are summer squash. They don't last long - only about a week and a half to two weeks once they're picked, They have a delicate, if not downright nondescript flavor.They are easy and fun to grow, very forgiving, provided you give them a healthy dose of composted manure in the spring, and you can even help them along by side dressing them with wilted comfrey.

After about a week and a half, you may notice a tiny brown spot here or there. These are tell-tale signs that it's time to cook them! Within about five to seven days, these tiny brown dots will have invaded the squash, making them inedible. So if you see a brown dot or dimple about the size of a pinhead, fire up the pan, cut out the spot, and cook!

Ingredients:

Patty Pan Squash - about 5 ounces (one four to five inch diameter) per person, or two three inch diameter squash per person
1/2 Sweet onion per person (Vadalia or equivalent).
1 teaspoon fresh Basil (or 1/4 teaspoon dried? I'm guessing here)
Olive Oil
Goat Cheese
Black Pepper

Preparation

DIce the patty pan squash into 1/2" cubes, setting aside any part that looks too "seedy", set aside.
Dice the onion, set aside.
Mince the fresh Basil, set aside, discarding any stems.
Preheat the pan on medium high.

Cook!

Add the oil, then in about thirty seconds add enough squash to cover the bottom of the pan, lightly coat with the oil in the pan.
When the edges are slightly brown, stir, then add the onions, and continue to saute until the onions begin to brown.
Add the fresh basil, mix well, and cook for one more minute.
Add the goat cheese, remove from heat, cover and let it "coast" with the heat of the pan continuing to cook until the squash are completely cooked (they give easily with a poke of a fork, and any center parts - squash with no skin - appear somewhat translucent). Remove cover and serve immediately, adding pepper to taste.
This makes a great and satisfying dish, giving you the sweet of the onion, the sour and salty from the cheese, and the pungent and slightly astringent taste from the basil - all five classic tastes of Chinese cooking, in a non-Chinese dish. Goes great with Kielbasa, too!