RECIPES: Make summer squash the star of your plate

You can use whatever summer squash you’d like — no need to limit yourself to only zucchini or crookneck. As Hetty Lui McKinnon wrote in her latest cookbook, “Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds” (Knopf, $40), “Taste and texture wise, some summer squashes have less water, or are nuttier or firmer, but they are largely interchangeable, which makes cooking with them in the summer such a seasonal delight.”

The suggestions below take this seasonal strategy but experiment with what you like. “Summer squash are pretty bland, but that means they go incredibly well with all summer herbs and vegetables,” said Deborah Madison, in 2013′s “Vegetable Literacy” (Ten Speed, $40). “Their neutrality actually makes them quite versatile.”

Small (6 ounces or less)

Small, early-season squashes don’t need much adornment and are great served raw. In his 2017 cookbook “Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables” (Artisan, $40), chef Joshua McFadden said that he always goes with a raw preparation “when I get the truly young and fresh ones. These firm specimens are also perfect for pickling, very thinly sliced on a mandoline into flexible ribbons.”

Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to shave paper-thin slices and spread on a plate. Drizzle with your best extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Sprinkle it with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper. For bolder savoriness, do as Arielle Johnson does in her new book “Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor” (Harvest, $40) and add a sprinkle of MSG. “It will,” she said, “make the silky crunch of (squash) feel super rich and intense-tasting, and heightens saltiness and sweetness while cutting down bitterness.”

Or treat a thinly sliced squash as you would a cucumber and pickle it. The water content is similar, so any quick-pickle brine will work. Squash works particularly well as a bread-and-butter pickle. For every small sliced squash, mix with one thinly sliced shallot and a tablespoon of kosher salt in a medium bowl. Cover with ice and let sit for 30 minutes, then drain, rinse and pack into a sterilized canning jar. For the brine, combine apple cider vinegar, sugar and water in a 3:2:1 ratio in a small pot. Add a few pinches of ground mustard, a pinch of turmeric and a whole clove. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Pour immediately over the squash, cool and chill before serving.

Medium (8 ounces)

Slightly larger specimens do best when given a hard sear or char on a grill, under a broiler or in a skillet shimmering with olive oil. Per McFadden, “When I cook squash I always turn the heat up high — squash needs a hot, fast treatment, which will brown the outside and enhance the flavors while keeping the interior flesh from overcooking and becoming soggy.”

If you’ve got the time, you can salt the squash before cooking, just as you would an eggplant. Salting the squash and letting it sit for 30 minutes will draw out excess water and make it easier to char without turning mushy. If you don’t have time, season at the very last minute before cooking so that the exuded water doesn’t interfere with browning.

To grill or broil, slice the squash lengthwise, into slabs about 1/2-inch thick. Use the highest heat on a grill or a rack closest to a broiler set to high. Grease the grill or place a wire rack on a sheet pan to broil. Lightly coat the squash in olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and place the squash on the heat just until it begins to char, then flip and cook on the second side — this one is always quicker than the first.

To sear, slice your squash into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and add it to shimmering oil in a heavy skillet set over medium to medium-high heat. Keep the squash in a single layer; depending on the volume and your skillet size, you may have to sear in batches as you would meat. Sprinkle salt over the rounds when they hit the skillet. Flip when you see char on the first side and season with a bit more salt.

Lemon zest, lemon juice, a handful of roughly chopped soft herbs (mint, parsley, dill, basil — pick your favorite) and toasted nuts or breadcrumbs are a nice, simple way to dress up the charred squash.

Larger (12 ounces)

As squashes grow larger later in the summer, it’s best to give them more cooking time to soften the flesh. The simplest method is to dice or cut them into thick wedges, then cook slowly in melted butter over medium-low heat. You can do this method with squashes on their own or saute onion, garlic and an anchovy or two before adding the squashes. Plan on a 10- to 15-minute cooking time — you’re looking for the flesh to soften but not completely fall apart. Don’t be worried when you see the skin darken and brown. You want to “cook them long enough for a definite squash flavor to emerge,” said Madison. “Our penchant for undercooking vegetables has not been good for summer squash. If you overcook them, you may actually discover that they, well, taste like squash.”

Larger squashes are also perfect for blending into soup. To do so, sweat a small chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add about 1 pound chopped squashes and enough water to just cover. Season with salt and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering until the vegetables are very tender. Remove from the heat, scoop in a generous spoonful of umami-rich white miso, then blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add a drizzle of cream or a dollop of full-fat yogurt. Thin with additional water if you’d like. Chill, then season again with salt and pepper before serving topped with a drizzle of olive oil.

In his 2014 book, “Plenty More” (Ten Speed, $35), Yotam Ottolenghi introduced the idea of broiling whole zucchini to turn to dip — another fantastic idea for transforming overly large squashes. He writes, “I don’t know why we don’t broil zucchini more. Getting some smokiness into the naturally bland flesh is a revelation.” Once it’s charred and soft, remove the skin, drain off excess liquid in a colander, transfer to a bowl and mash the squash with garlic, yogurt and lemon. McKinnon takes a similar tactic, charring whole zucchini in a skillet before adding tahini, lemon and oil for a baba ghanoush-like dip. Chile oil drizzled over the top would be a lovely touch on either variation.

Largest (1 pound or more)

While McFadden doesn’t believe in using a summer squash unless it is small, gigantic, end-of-season squashes can still be useful. Grate them with a box grater and use their watery, fibrous texture to your advantage. Because larger squashes don’t have pronounced flavor, they can, when grated, be an easy “hidden” vegetable in a picky-kid dinner.

A finely grated squash is an excellent addition to ground poultry to make burgers and meatballs. The extra water and fiber in the squash keeps the meat moist, even when the lean meat is fully cooked. Add around 1/2 cup grated squash and an equal amount of panko breadcrumbs to a pound of ground meat, season with a teaspoon of kosher salt, and form patties or meatballs. Sear or grill on all sides until cooked through.

Zhuzh up the burgers with whatever flavors you’d like. In 2022′s “I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To)” (Clarkson Potter, $29.99), Ali Slagle adds fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and fresh dill to ground chicken, boasting that the meat can’t be dry “with scandalously juicy zukes around.” Or go in a Sichuan direction with ginger, scallion and sesame oil, then drizzle with a bit of chile crisp for serving.

To use up even more squashes, try another Slagle idea: Saute the grated strands (up to a couple of pounds!) in oil or butter until they almost completely melt down into a puree and begin to brown. If needed, you can stir in a bit of stock or water, then add a spritz of lemon juice or vinegar and toss with al dente pasta. Just about anything you like on your pasta will work here for garnish — freshly grated Parmesan cheese, a shower of fresh herbs, toasted panko, toasted nuts or all of the above.

By the time August comes around, I hope you will have enjoyed more squashes than you have in years past. Maybe you’ll even think of them as McKinnon does: “A sunbeam on our plate, a dazzling star of summer dining.”

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