Summer Squash in a Pie

Do you need another summer squash recipe? Sure, we all do. That is if we are going to treat summer squash overflow as seasonal bounty to be savored and appreciated rather than as a locust-like invasion, something to be feared and lamented.

I used the latest offering from the CSA squash fields to make a savory galette (somewhat like this one at smitten kitchen) with ricotta and feta cheese. To keep the pie relatively light and crisp, I made just a thin layer of garlic-spiked ricotta. The squash was tossed with olive oil and fresh thyme and layered on top of the ricotta, then sprinkled with a bit of feta. The resulting pie, though it looked just as rustic and lumpy as most of my messes do, was delicately flavored. The subtle taste of the squash was not overwhelmed by the mild ricotta and the feta gave everything just a little punch.

I used my decision to make a savory pie as an opportunity to make the Yeasted Tart Dough with Olive Oil from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I think I’ve made this recipe before (in the dark ages before I began this blog), but I may have made the version with butter that is on the same page in the book. Whatever. I decided to try it with some whole wheat flour this time, to bump up its WFQ*.

The dough is fairly easy to make, but it will require the cook to plan ahead, since it does need to rise for about an hour before it can be rolled out for your pie. The addition of whole wheat flour did not seem to negatively affect the texture. The dough is smooth and easy to work with and I could easily roll it out very thin. The baked crust is pleasantly crisp and sturdy, but tender, since it puffs nicely in the oven. The pie slices very neatly and the slices hold up well enough to consume in a casual summer dining environment, sans flatware if desired.

This was really a test of two recipes: the squash galette and the yeasted crust, and both get top marks. I hope to make many more pies with this crust recipe (there’s a sweeter version in the book as well), and the galette is a great new addition to my growing archive of summer squash recipes. At the right, I’ve added a link to a list of summer squash and zucchini recipes that I’ll keep up during the squash-flood season. I hope you’ll find inspirational if you’ve got plenty of squash to “savor and appreciate.” Now, what to do about those two big zucchini in my refrigerator…


Yeasted Tart Dough with Whole Wheat Flour
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

My directions are for stirring and kneading the dough by hand. You could also use a heavy-duty stand mixer and knead with the dough hook.

2 teaspoons yeast (or about 1 envelope-style package)
½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Let stand about 5 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a whisk or fork. Whisk in the olive oil until well-combined. Add to the yeast mixture.

3. Add the salt, whole wheat flour and about half the all-purpose flour. Stir to form a sticky dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a kneading surface with some of the remaining all-purpose flour. Knead the dough about 4 minutes, until the dough is smooth, gradually adding the rest of the flour (or more as needed). Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the kneading surface. The dough should only be slightly tacky when kneading is done.

5. Form the dough into a ball. Spray a medium-size bowl with cooking spray or brush it with oil. Place the dough ball in the bowl and spray or brush the top. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour or until about double in size. Dough can be used for one 9-11 inch tart or galette.


Summer Squash Galette with Ricotta and Feta
Based on a recipe at the blog smitten kitchen

You could probably use another pastry recipe that makes a similarly sized pie if desired.

about 8 ounces summer squash (about 1 medium-large or 2 small)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
½ cup ricotta cheese
1 medium to large garlic clove
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 recipe Yeasted Tart Dough with Whole Wheat Flour (see above)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
egg wash (egg beaten with water or milk), optional

1. If you have one, place a pizza stove on the middle rack of the oven. (If you don’t have a stone, you can bake the galette on a large pan.) Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Trim the ends away from the squash. Thinly slice the squash and place the slices in a medium-size bowl. Add the olive oil, thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss together to coat the squash with oil. Set aside.

3. Place the ricotta in a small bowl. Finely chop the garlic. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and work together to form a paste. Add the garlic-salt paste to the ricotta along with the pepper. Stir to combine. Set aside.

4. Punch down the tart dough and roll it into a thin circle about 14 inches in diameter. Transfer to a parchment lined pizza peel or to a baking pan.

5. Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough in a thin layer, leaving about 4 inches on the edge of the circle. Arrange the squash (as neatly as you wish) over the ricotta layer. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the squash layer. Fold up the edges of the dough all around the galette. Brush the dough with egg wash if desired.

6. Slide the galette with the parchment from the peel onto the preheated pizza stone (or if using a pan, simply place it in the oven). Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes, or until the crust is brown and crisp. Remove the tart from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes or so before slicing and serving.

Makes about 6 servings. You can wrap and refrigerate leftovers, which can be reheated in the microwave. The crust on the leftover tart may be softer, but mine did not get soggy.


Other recipes like this one: Chard Tart with Feta Cheese and Olives, Corn and Green Onion Tart with Bacon, Roasted Cherry Tomato and Olive Galette

Other summer squash and zucchini recipes on this page.

One year ago: Pasta Salad with Cauliflower and Mustard Lemon Dressing

*WFQ = Whole Food Quotient

Pasta with Summer Squash, Corn and Bacon

It’s been while since I’ve just given up and thrown what was left of the week’s fresh summer vegetables into an impromptu pasta or stir fry dish (although it looks like stir fry tonight: bok choy, cabbage, beans and broccoli). Therefore, I don’t have summer pasta fatigue just yet. I’m still enthusiastic to try a new vegetable sauté tossed with noodles. Of course, if the recipe also happens to be enhanced with cream and bacon, who can blame me?

The recipe I tried recently was in a stack of yellow summer squash recipes. It was quite simple, which I’m happy to read as “quick and easy” on these hot late summer days. It also promised to be flavorful, if a bit rich, since it was indeed enhanced by the cream and bacon alluded to above. The bounty from our CSA has come to the point, however, where using only one type of vegetable at a time seems a frivolous waste of a meal, not to mention a total bore. Though it made the dish even more yellow, I opted to add juicy kernels of fresh, sweet corn.

It turns out that rotini pasta not only looks good in yellow, but tastes great in yellow, too. You could use other kinds of pasta in this dish, but the point should be to trap the rich, thick sauce and sweet, creamy corn in the twists and folds of the noodle. I was thrilled with the flavor of the corn, which, of course, goes well with bacon and cream, but I was also very pleasantly surprised by the counterpoint its texture makes to the silky cooked squash and floppy pasta. The crisp bacon adds another nice texture, and since the squash and corn are cooked in the rendered bacon fat, its smoky flavor permeates every bite. (If you don’t want to use bacon, skip the bacon steps and sauté the squash and corn in about 2 tablespoons melted butter. More yellow!)

I served this dish with a simple cherry tomato and basil salad and garlic bread. The only thing missing was a great, crisp, well-chilled white wine, which not only would have tasted fabulous, but also would have been yellow. As long as the pasta looked and tasted so good in its matching yellow outfit, it was kind of a shame not to have the perfect coordinating accessory on hand. Even Harry was hoping for wine to go along with this dinner. Note to self: start buying wine by the case!

Pasta with Yellow Squash, Corn and Bacon
Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine

6 ounces short-cut pasta, such as rotini or cavatappi
3 slices thick-cut bacon (or 4 slices of thinner bacon)
1 pound yellow summer squash (about 2 medium squash), quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and silk removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy cream
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is just a little bit more firm than you like to eat it. (It will cook a little bit more later.)

2. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and set aside.

3. In a large skillet that has a lid (you’ll use the lid later), cook the bacon until it is well browned, turning to cook evenly. Remove from the skillet and set aside on paper towels to drain and cool. Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan and return it to medium heat.

4. Add the squash, corn, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and salt. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook about 7 or 8 minutes or until the squash looks softened. Stir occasionally.

5. Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated.

6. Chop the cooked bacon. Stir the bacon, cream, and pasta into the squash mixture. Cook and stir another 2 to 3 minutes or until the cream has thickened. Garnish with the parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Makes about 4 main-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Pasta with Kale, Summer Squash, Olives and Feta Cheese, Corn and Green Onion Tart with Bacon, Corn Chowder with Edamame

One year ago: Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Basil

The Squash are Coming! The Squash are Coming!

Get out the lanterns and signal the invasion. The summer squash are back. Zucchini and yellow crooked-neck squash all in prolific force and ready for new recipes. Of course there are plenty of good old recipes to make, but with summer squash being what it is, there should be plenty left for experimenting.

My most recent test was on a recipe for a simple chilled soup featuring the yellow summer squash I got in a CSA box. These are such pretty little things with delicate, smooth skin and subtle favor to match. It seems almost a shame to chop them up, cook them in broth and mercilessly puree them into a smooth and creamy chilled soup. Well, okay, perhaps not exactly a shame.

This soup has subtle flavors that satisfy nonetheless. It’s filling without being fatty, nicely seasoned with a little cumin and coriander, and a little bit tangy from the plain yogurt added at the end. I sweetened it with a bit of carrot, which also enhanced the pale yellow color of the final product.

As usual, I used an immersion blender to puree the soup, but you cold use a regular blender and puree it in batches. Just be careful with the hot soup. It’s probably best to remove the little insert in the blender lid and place a folded towel over the empty space. That will allow some of the heat and steam to escape while blending. The soup can probably be made more smooth in the regular blender. My immersion blender tends to leave a few little bits behind, which I don’t mind. (I’d rather chew a few bits of vegetable than clean the blender container!)

I’m sure additional or different herbs and spices could be added to this soup, or perhaps even other vegetables. I’m thinking of trying this again when I can stir some fresh sweet corn into it. It really is a blank canvas waiting to be punched up, but I was actually quite surprised at how flavorful this simple version really is. Perhaps it could even be made into a green soup with zucchini instead of the yellow squash. At the rate the zucchini is invading, I might just have to try it.

Chilled Summer Squash Soup
Based on a recipe in Cooking Light magazine. I used unsalted, homemade broth in this soup. You may want to adjust the amount of salt you add based on your ingredients.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrot
½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
1 pound chopped yellow summer squash
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups vegetable broth
6 ounces (about ¾ cup) plain yogurt
additional yogurt and chopped fresh herbs for garnish if desired

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the squash and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook 1 minute more, stirring frequently.

3. Add the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for about 30 minutes, or until the carrot and squash are tender.

4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, uncovered, at least 10 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste for salt and add more if desired. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

5. Whisk in the yogurt. Taste for salt again and add more if desired. Serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt and herbs.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Cold Cucumber Soup, Gazpacho

One year ago: Pain au Chocolate