Sauteed Summer Squash

Sauteed Summer Squash, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Still working my way through the previous weeks' market bounty. I got home pretty late last night and treated myself to a bubble bath after the gym, but also wanted to cook something quick and yummy. Solution? Saute squash in rich farmer's market butter with garlic and lots of salt and pepper. Hooray!

• 3-4 T butter
• 4 summer squash, sliced into 1/4-1/2 in. rounds
• 2 T garlic, chopped
• lots of salt and pepper
• 1-2 T lemon juice
• 1-2 T parsley, chopped, for garnish

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, till fragrant.

Add squash. Season with salt and pepper, and cook till squash reaches desired consistency, 5-10 minutes, turning now and then. (I covered the pan for a few minutes to get the steaming process underway and shrink everything more quickly.)

Remove from heat. Adjust seasoning. Pour lemon juice over squash and garnish with parsley before serving.

Summer Staple: Sausage and Couscous

I keep forgetting what an awesome summer food couscous is - quick, light, addition-friendly and especially good when cold. This is more a sample recipe than a base - just happens to be the one variant we had. A single box made three meals for two people: Saturday night dinner, with lamb sausages; Sunday brunch, with spicy longaniza and vinegar dipping sauce (pictured above); and Sunday snacks, with salami, while we waited in line for "One-Man Star Wars Trilogy" tickets. The lamb sausages were simply boiled; the longaniza, cooked in 1/4 cup of water till the liquid evaporated, then browned over low heat for 3-5 minutes in the rendered fat.

• 1 box Near East plain couscous (one day I'll find and try cooking the real stuff)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 summer squash, halved and sliced thin
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice, to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan with a cover, add the olive oil to two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add couscous, mix, cover and set aside, off the heat. (I actually added the squash at this point as well, because I wanted it slightly softened but not cooked.)
When couscous is cooked (about 5-7 minutes), mix with scallions, squash (or whatever other vegetables and/or nuts you're using). Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

Chicken with Onions and Summer Squash

Clockwise from top: cheese and chocolate, salad, chicken with onions and squash, rice

 

It's been a busy couple of weeks, so I've barely cooked or packed lunch (or even noted down the recipes when I have, hence the lack of a lentil soup post from last week). We went to the market after getting back from my sister's on Sunday, and I made up a huge batch of take-to-work stew based on Bittmans' "Chicken with Onions." Couldn't resist the summer squashes at the market, so bought a few to add and made a few more tweaks, as noted below.

Things I will do differently next time:

1. Brown the chicken beforehand. It's still tasty, but would have been even better with some help from the Maillard reaction.
2. Onions and summer squash release a lot of liquid. No need to add more liquid to the recipe unless you feel like soup.
3. Add the squash 20 minutes before the chicken's done. Had a brain fart and put it in right after the chicken, with predictable overcooking results. 

 Ingredients and procedure are below.

• 3-4 lbs. chicken (about 6 big legs in this case)
• 1 cup flour (if browning - otherwise, no need)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 medium-sized onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water, stock or white wine (used sake, as I didn't feel like opening the last bottle of Breaux vigionier)
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 medium summer squash, sliced into 1/2-in. rounds

If not browning the chicken, skip this step. Separate the legs and thighs, then pat dry. Coat in flour then brown in the oil over medium-high heat, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from heat, reserve, and pour off all but a tablespoon of oil.

Saute onions in oil till soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute till fragrant, another 1-2 minutes. Add thyme and stir.

Add liquid, summer squash and chicken to pot; add . Bring to a boil, cover then cook over medium-low heat till chicken is done (about 20 minutes if browned, longer if not).