Friday, July 19, 2013

Summer Time Recipe

It's that time of year when the garden is beginning to put out lots of fresh vegetables.  One of our favorites is yellow squash.... and below are two family favorite recipes.



Battletown Squash Casserole

 from the chef at the 1776 Battletown Inn, Berryville, VA.

6 small yellow squash
1 small onion, diced
1 cup heavy cream
12 saltines, crushed
2 Tbs butter
salt & pepper to taste

Peel, slice, boil till tender, and mash squash.  Drain excess liquid and set aside.
Lightly grease individual ramekins or a casserole dish, (I like to use a 9x12 baking dish and top with extra saltines for the topping).
Finely dice onion and sauté in butter.  Add cream.  Heat until not quite ready to boil.  Add  half of the crushed saltines.  Stir… it will become thick pudding like consistency.
Fold into mashed squash.  Spoon into ramekins or casserole dish. (It will be a thin layer in the 9x12 pan)  Sprinkle with remaining crushed saltines and dot with extra butter for a slightly crunchy topping.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Bake in a 400deg. Oven for approx 20 min or until golden.



Yellow Squash Muffins

2 C mashed yellow squash. 
2 eggs, beaten
1 C melted butter (2 sticks)*
1 C sugar*
3 C flour          
1 Tbs + 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Peel, slice, boil until soft, drain, then mash several small yellow squash for a total of 2 cups mashed squash.  You can puree the squash if you prefer no chunks in your muffin.  Set aside to cool to room temp.  Drain excess liquid.  When cool, mix in eggs and butter and set aside.
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and fold in squash mixture until moist.  Spoon into muffin tins ¾ full
Bake at 375deg until golden …. 15-20 min.

These are a nice breakfast muffin and freeze well if you want to make large batches.
 Options:
I have added blueberries or strawberry pieces to the muffins,  but it is best to use foil papers in the muffin tin so that they don’t stick.

*These can be made lower fat/less rich by using only 1 stick of butter.
* 1 Cup of Splenda can be used in place of sugar

You can also add some cinnamon to the sugar/splenda before mixing for a different taste.