According to the calendar, summer is transitioning into fall, but The Chef’s Garden will still have deliciously farm-fresh summer squash available in the autumn. What’s wonderful about this vegetable, besides its amazing flavor, is how many parts of it can be used in dishes.
The journey towards using more of the plant began for us more than three decades ago when a chef classically trained in French cuisine came to the United States from Europe. Her name? Iris Bailin. And, after Farmer Lee Jones talked to her at a farmer’s market near Cleveland, the farm began cultivating squash blossoms for her—and then for other chefs, as well.
“Now fast forward by 25 or so years,” says Chef Jamie Simpson. “Around 2010, we began exploring ways to use even more parts of summer squash in delicious ways—and now this is the vegetable I use when demonstrating our philosophy of celebrating under-used parts of plants.”
Squash Leaves
First up, the leaves. “They might be a bit off-putting as you brush up against protective microfibers,” Jamie says. But behind them lies a really flavorful plant, delicious in its own right.”
He explains that squash leaves, whether small or large, will require blanching. Then, after we cook them, there are a few ways we might use them. For example, we could use them to wrap tamales, with those leaves not necessarily intended to be eaten. Or we could blend them into a squash leaf puree or juice for pasta. As another option, they can be an emulsion for salad dressings or vegetal sauce.”
Squash Stems
These are covered in spikes with a fibrous outside that resembles celery or the string on a string bean. “We discovered that, with a paring knife, we could very quickly and easily pull them down the stem—and what was left was a hollow straw with a celery-like texture. The straw could be as wide as a cannoli or as thin as a beverage straw, depending on the plant. But all are so tender.”
Jamie and his team like to cut them into tubes the size of rigatoni and then treat them as such, serving them in a bowl with butter sauce or some other type of topping.
Or you can leave them raw, compressing them, for example, in apple juice. “We’ve also made picked summer squash stems. We’ve also filled them with jelly, and once set, you can slice and eat.”
Jamie calls the various uses of squash leaves and stems a “great discovery,” something he’s demonstrated to other chefs.
Petite Squash
Besides the baby squash and fuller sizes—and the now famous squash blossoms—there is also incredibly flavorful petite summer squash. “These are the tiniest, most magical things you can imagine,” Jamie says, “smaller than a fingernail and very cool.”
He likes to make a squash casserole or a gratin with larger varieties and then garnish them with elf-sized petite versions of the vegetable. “As far as the flavor profile and texture,” he says, “it reminds me of green almond, tender-crisp almond.”
Each time the Culinary Vegetable Institute hosts a Vegetable Showcase with a squash theme, they always include the use of leaves and stems—with photos of these dishes stored on Facebook albums. So, if you don’t already follow us on Facebook, now is a good time:
Culinary Applications Based on Size
With baby squash, Jamie prefers to keep the prep simple, perhaps a quick blanch, sauté, or grilling. “Not much manipulation.”
As the squash gets bigger, he relies more on “old fashioned techniques,” such as cooking them until really soft and then mashing them, or using hard cooking techniques, such as grilling, roasting, or heavy smoking.
“As the size goes up,” he says, “they become more spongy. They can then take on more sauce or butter.”
Fall Squash Technique
Picture a bed of hot coals, with fall squash placed on top and then buried with even more hot coals. “This is,” Jamie says, “unbelievably great.”
Stuffed Squash Blossoms
We’ll end where we got started: with squash blossoms. “You can stuff them with ground meat and bake or use a classic cheese filling. In Mexico, they’re seared in a quesadilla form. We’ve also put a soft-boiled egg in a blossom and fried the combo. You’ll end up with a soft egg and a crisp blossom, a truly wonderful contrast.”