Monday, August 17, 2009

Summer Squash Primer, Part 2

Our guided tour of summer squash continues, with our most used varieties in this episode. On the right, in this picture, is Papaya Pear, a dense, meaty squash with a nutty flavour. Farmer Boy loves it for the barbecue: he'll slice it into medallions, soak it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with herbs like tarragon (his current fav). Then, straight onto the barbecue, where you can grill it hard, without it going mushy. It will take a little while longer than regular zucchini. Papaya Pear is also awesome sliced raw for salads or dips, or cut into bit size pieces for stir fries. It's super for those packages in tin foil.

On the left, is Patty Pan or Scallopini squash. Kids refer to it as the flying saucer squash. It's another dense, nutty flavoured squash with a bit of a melon taste. In small sizes, it is absolutely fabulous for roasting - in tin foil packages or straight on a barbecue. When it gets larger, quite big, it is super stuffed with any stuffing you might use in a tomato or pepper. After roasting in the oven or where ever, you can cut it into little pie-shaped pieces for serving: looks very cute on the plate!

Missing from this picture is Crookneck squash, the Southern States delicacy often served battered and deep fried. It's a creamy, butter squash with a delicate texture. Farmer Boy has coated it in corn meal and Cajun spices, yummy!! It is missing from this picture because it did not germinate AT ALL in this cold, wet spring. Zip, zero, nada, absolutely nothing - a huge disappointment!

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