![]() Add the squash and sugar and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. ![]() When the butter is foamy, add the onions and 2 teaspoons salt. In a Dutch oven, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Generously grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or similarly-sized shallow casserole dish. Total time: 2 hours and 15 minutes Ingredientsġ/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasingĤ pounds yellow squash, halved, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick roundsġ cup panko breadcrumbs, or other dried breadcrumbs Just don’t skip the breadcrumbs at the end - they’ll add an undeniably wonderful crisp texture to what is now going to be a potluck classic in my house. Yep, this requires more work, but you can 100 percent assemble the casserole ahead of time, stick it in the fridge (or freezer), and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to serve. ![]() Drain it well and puree it until smooth, and you’ll never have to worry about mushy veggies in your casserole again. If, however, you de-seed the squash before cooking, and steam the squash in its own juice, you’ll wind up with more concentrated flavor in the vegetable itself. Summer squash is watery when the casserole is made with large rounds, they continue to leech water and just end up weirdly slimy and pulpy. While I was cooking this dish, which was an adaptation of a recipe from (once again) the prolific contributor Elizabeth Lide, I realized that my big problem with squash casserole was in its texture. There is, of course, plenty of cheese, but the texture of the casserole is smooth, and there are none of those pesky squash seeds that smush, mush and sog out many a crisp topping. This recipe is a fancier version of squash casserole, with pureed vegetables and a crisp, buttered breadcrumb topping. It is this second type, the “souffle,” that I ultimately decided to make at home. Squashes were an important part of Native American agriculture they were grown with maize and pole beans as part of what we call the “Three Sisters” system of companion planting. A similar variety was thought to have made its way to the Missouri area around 4,000 years ago. Evidence of the first domesticated squash, which was likely a relative of the yellow crookneck squash most commonly used in said casserole, was found in Oaxaca and thought to have been grown as far back as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. I’d never even thought to try making it at home - why ruin a vegetable that tastes perfectly good sauteed with fresh herbs?īut listen, I can’t really say that I’m cooking my way through classic Southern recipes without making squash casserole now can I? Summer squash, and its various relatives in the cucurbita genus, has been in the Americas since long before Europeans arrived. I’d avoid it at buffet tables and family reunions, opting for mac and cheese and collards. Pair it with lima beans or succotash and eight-year-old me would shudder and suffer through the teensy bite I was forced to take in between forkfuls of chicken.Īs I grew up and into my more adult palate that appreciated things like limas and buttered squash, I’d love to say that I got over my shudder-filled reaction to vegetable casseroles but, um, I didn’t. I’m not really sure what the root of my aversion was - of all the cheese-filled, cracker-topped casseroles out there, this one wasn’t too offensive (I mean, you can’t even really taste the vegetables) - but I would shudder at the thought of even trying it. In our series Saving Southern Recipes, Associate Editor Kate Williams explores the deep heritage of Southern cooking through the lens of passed-down family recipes.
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