Summer Squash

When I lived down south, summer or yellow crookneck squash was commonly served. Around here, it's mostly only gardeners who do much with summer squash. But I saw some at the farmer;s market today, and dragged out this old recipe, which I call Mrs. Rush's Squash Souffle, because I learned it from a lady named Mrs. Rush in Auburn, Alabama when I lived there. My husband really liked it, and my daughter, who thought she hated yellow squash, declared it good. I agree.


Mrs. Rush's Squash Souffle

4 cups (1 lb.) yellow squash cut into small pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped (maybe a cup?)
1 cup fresh white bread, torn into small pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 egg beaten
3 T. whole milk or evaporated milk or half-and-half cream. (use nonfat at your own risk)
2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. bacon fat (saved from previous bacon cooking. or cook bacon to have on the side, if you don't have any bacon fat. Or maybe cook 2 strips of bacon and crumble them in?)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook squash in lightly salted boiling water till tender. Drain out well in a colander. Put squash in a 2 qt. casserole dish and mash with a fork. Add uncooked onions and all other ingredients and stir well. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. It doesn't puff up like a souffle, but it does firm up and brown nicely. Makes 3-4 servings (about 4 cups total.)

Sukiyaki in the Summer

We recently discovered the joys of Wagyu beef, and decided to try it in sukiyaki. Usually we only make sukiyaki in the winter, but it's been a cool summer and besides, we discovered the joys of wagyu beef!



What is wagyu? The word means simply Japanese beef, and it's actually a breed of cattle indigenous to Japan. The Japanese, although they didn't begin eating beef till the mid 19th century, have raised it to a fine art. But the most surprising thing about wagyu is that it is naturally low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Usually monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, while saturated fats, like butter and lard, are hard or at least solid at room temperature. Well wagyu beef, if you leave it at room temperature for a short time, almost begins to melt.



And in your mouth? It does melt.

The vegetables are also yummy: enoki mushrooms, shirataki (sort of noodles), nappa, green onions, tofu, bamboo shoots.

Unfortunately, I was too busy cooking and eating to take any pictures of the finished sukiyaki. But trust me, it was good.