Looking back over the last few months, it appears that I've more or less confined myself to shorter posts. There's a few reasons for that.
1. I've been fighting my moods.
2. I've been posting on my android using an app called Bloggeroid, and while it works better than the actual blogger app for me , it limits the size of my posts.
3. Finally, I haven't been writing on here because I've been writing something else, and, while it's interesting, it's also confusing as I don't know where the hell it's going or what the point is, assuming it has a point.
But I've decided to buckle down and do an actual post.
Now, remember when I used to post recipes? They have to be fairly easy, and always flexible.
And since squash season has settled down on us in Texas, and is no doubt gathering in a slightly threatening manner, like a weird green thundercloud on the horizon, further north, I've decided to gather a few thoughts on squash.
The yellow squash, and it's close cousin the zucchini, have one thing going for them.
They're easy to grow, and extremely productive, making them very rewarding for the home gardener no matter what their experience level. Actually, they're so productive, that 3 or 4 hills of each are usually more than enough. Unfortunately, the average seed packet has enough seeds for about triple that amount, and you tend to end up with more than you can possibly use, and you cannot ever seem to give them away, as everybody else has more than they can possibly use and is trying to unload them on you.
For this reason, there are well over a thousand recipes, including casseroles, pickles, lasagnas, breads, etc, trying to use up the darned things.
So, after you've gotten sick of the average sautéed in butter, or brushed with olive oil and grilled, and you've resigned yourself to a casserole... here's one to try.
Ingredients:
3 or 4 medium sized yellow squash, sliced or cubed and rolled in flour.
1/4 sausage
1/4 diced onion
3 Tblsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese.
preheat oven to 400.
put your floured squash in a greased casserole dish.
now start by making a basic Southern Cream Gravy... fry the sausage in a pan, cutting it up with your spatula as it cooks to crumble it. When it's about half browned, add the onions, and cook, stirring constantly, until they're translucent.
Still stirring, (DON'T STOP STIRRING!) sprinkle in the 3 Tblsps flour as soon as it's incorporated into the grease, pour in the milk. Keep stirring so it doesn't go lumpy. As soon as it starts boiling, it will thicken,
Quickly mix in the cheese, and pour over the squash. Then place in oven for 30 minutes.
Easy enough, provided you're an experienced gravy maker.
Almost any vegetable can be used instead of squash, but the starchier ones seem to work best. I've tried sliced onions, about any kind of canned beans, provided they've been drained and rinsed, and a friend of mine with a weird sense of humor, tried frozen tater tots, and they all came out ok.
Mix in some green chilli, diced ham or chicken, or about anything you think will season it up.
Southern Cream Gravy is usually confronted smothering biscuits, chicken fried steak or mashed potatoes, but it's really just a variation of the classic white sauce. If you want to use white sauce instead, make it with 3 tblsps butter instead of the sausage drippings, and you can use chicken stock instead of the milk.
Now, most of us will just buy one of those bags of shredded cheese, but you can use any cheese you have or want... I once used some forgotten brie that had begun to dehydrate in the back of the fridge and put it on butter beans. Fantastic,
Anyway, be creative, and have fun!
