Summer squash a refreshing chameleon

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Until it was bursting from my vegetable garden this summer, I always had treated summer squash as an inexpensive filler in stir-fry or minestrone soup.

I love the nutty taste and rich colors of winter squash, but have only just learned to appreciate the sweet, mild flavor and cooling effect of well-prepared summer squash.

With so much squash on my hands, I've been able to experiment this summer.

Unlike winter squash, the pale-yellow summer squash, zucchini and pattypan varieties have thin skins and taste best shortly after they've been picked.

Young squash are tastier and easier to handle than more mature ones. Larger squash have more seeds, which turn soggy while cooking. Avoid this unpleasant texture by choosing baby or small squash. Or cut out and discard larger squash's seed core.

Salting and cooking squash with dry heat _ on the grill or in the oven, for example _ allows it to brown and maintain some dignity. While it can be a good filler in stir-fry and other wet dishes, I've learned it loses its flavor.

Summer squash's mild, almost melonlike flavor, is refreshing on its own. Add a pinch of spice or splash of lemon and it will take on that flavor in a big way.

Squash's cheery colors make for a fun display, too. Zucchini's forest green against pattypan's bright yellow looks beautiful bursting from the center of a galette.

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Experiment with the many varieties of summer squash:

CROOKNECK AND STRAIGHT NECK: Delicate, yellow-skinned squash with creamy white flesh. Crookneck, with its arching, swanlike neck, shares the mild taste of its straight-neck cousin.

GOURMET GLOBE: This squash shares the color of zucchini but is round enough to hollow out and use as a bowl. Look for seeds at nurseries and garden centers.

PATTYPAN: Not only is it fun to experiment with this spaceship-shaped squash, I've found its unusual shape and slightly sweet flesh are appealing to children. Pattypan is widely available in pale green and bright yellow.

SUNBURST: This yellow squash has a pattypan shape and a green spot where the blossom grows.

SUNDROP: This creamy yellow, oval-shaped squash rarely is found in stores. Seeds for this variety are available at nurseries and garden centers.

ZUCCHINI: Classic narrow, tender, seedy squash. The deep-green variety is easy to find in markets. It's also available with smooth, striped and speckled green or yellow skin. If you have this variety in your garden, take advantage of the flowers.

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HAPPY SOUP

This recipe is altered from Gourmet Magazine.

Ingredients:

ľ to 1 pound of yellow summer squash

2 ears corn

1 medium yellow onion

2 fresh Serrano peppers

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

Ľ teaspoon ground cumin

Ľ teaspoon saffron

2˝ cups chicken broth

Instructions:

Cut squash crosswise into ˝-inch slices. Shuck corn and cut kernels from the cob into a bowl. Break the cobs in half. Chop onion and peppers. Mince garlic.

In a 5-quart pot, combine all of the ingredients except the broth and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, for three minutes. Add the broth. Simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.

Discard cobs. Puree the mixture until smooth in a blender or food processor. Transfer it to another bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

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YELLOW SQUASH RIBBONS

This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients:

4 medium yellow squash

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small red onion, sliced thinly vertically

1 garlic glove minced

Ľ teaspoon salt

Ľ to ˝ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Ľ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ľ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shaved

Instructions:

With a vegetable peeler, peel the squash into ribbons lengthwise until you begin to reach the seeds. Discard the core.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Lightly saute the onions, garlic and squash until the squash is tender.

Remove from heat. Toss with the salt, pepper and cheese.

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SQUASH GALETTE

This recipe is from Ryan Galt and Eve Hightower.

Ingredients:

Crust

1Ľ cups flour

ľ cup butter (cold)

Ľ teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons water

Filling

1 teaspoon flour

˝ teaspoon fresh thyme or Italian seasoning

˝ teaspoon pepper

1 cup mozzarella

3 medium thinly sliced summer squash, such as zucchini Instructions:

For the crust: Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Take the butter from the refrigerator and immediately cut it into Ľ-inch cubes. Blend this with the flour mixture, using your fingertips until it has the consistency of coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon water and blend with a fork, adding water a tablespoon at a time as needed to form a workable dough. Gather it into a ball. Do not overhandle. Add a little flour to a large work surface and roll the dough into a 14-inch circle. If you prefer a finished look, trim the circle edges with a knife.

Fold the circle of dough in half, and then half again. Move this onto a baking pan that is at least 12 inches wide. Unfold it.

For the filling: Sprinkle flour on top of the dough. Mix the seasonings and cheese in a bowl. Layer the squash slices and cheese mixture, keeping it about 2 inches from the side of the dough. Fold the 2 inches of dough on the sides into the center, thereby overlapping much of the mixture. Some of the mixture should remain exposed.

Bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes. Let cool for five to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

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© 2008, The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.).