Cooking: Patty Pan Squash

I've seen Patty Pan Squash in seed catalogs, but I've never thought of growing it.  This squash was grown by one of my neighbors at the community garden.  She had an abundance, so she gave me two.  Actually, if I think about it, we made a bit of a trade--her patty pan squash for some of my Swiss chard.  A fair trade, don't you think?

Any-who, since I've neither grown, prepared, nor tasted patty pan squash, this is a journey in starting something new (and as far as the Thrifty factor is concerned, these costs me nothing financially--as they were given to me).  So armed some research on preparation--as well as a recipe that I found online for roasted patty pan squash, here it goes:


 

 

Here is one of two patty pan squashes.  The reason I'm showing one is because the other one has already been cut into pieces.

Here is the one squash that was cut.  Because of the shape, I cut it in half, then in quarters, then eighths, then sixteenths

Both squashes, now cut into sixteenths.

In the bowl, ready for some seasoning

Speaking of seasoning, here we are.  Now, salt and pepper is an absolute essential, and in my house, I always keep kosher salt and a jar of peppercorns with a grinder.  

I prefer kosher salt because I find that it seasons the food better without using too much salt.  I find table salt a bit too harsh, and the kosher salt sort of melts and therefore, provides a more even seasoning.  

In addition, I also prefer freshly cracked black pepper--as it provides more flavor than your typical ground pepper.  I'd rather have that coarser texture season my food--as opposed to the stuff that looks like it came from an ashtray.

Also in my arsenal of seasonings is Herbes De Provence--which is a blend of herbs that was developed in the Provence region of France.  There are quite a few variations, but this variation (if can recall because I the container is now gone) contains: parsley, rosemary, savory, and thyme.  This is the perfect blend for roasting just about anything.  I've used it when making roast chicken--as well as roasted vegetable for a fish dish, and it really enhances the flavor.

Last, but not least...oil.  My preference is olive oil--for both flavor and health qualities.

So what I did was add the oil first, then the salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence in that order to the squash.  Then mix it up to make the seasoning and oil even distributed throughout the squash

Preheat the oven to 450 F, and roast for about 20-25 minutes until tender.

 

Done.  Look at the color on the edges of some of those pieces!  Color = flavor

 

Squash is served.  I just put it in a bowl to try it.  It tastes somewhat similar to zucchini.  As you can see, some of them have more color on them, and those are the pieces that I enjoyed the most.  As I said above, color = flavor, and it was awesome.   Another favorite part of mine were the edges that crisped up.   The color from the roasting also brought about a hint of sweetness.  Being that this was my first time making them, I think next time, I will turn the pieces halfway through the roasting process--so they can get color on both sides.  Also, it could've used a little more salt for my tastes, so I will mix it up in a bigger bowl.  But overall,  I would have it again, and perhaps, considering growing it next year.

I have never seen patty pan squash in the grocery store, so perhaps your best bet would be to find it at a farm stand or farmer's market.  However, if you do find it at a grocery store (perhaps you may be fortunate enough to have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's--which I do not have), then by all means, try it.  Or to Think Thrifty, get a packet of seeds and grow some yourself.  By doing this, the amount of squash you get--EVEN if you plant one seed, will more than pay for the packet of seeds.

In conclusion, I give patty pan squash a passing grade.  Thank you Charlene for blessing me with such yummy-ness!  

So until then, Think Thrifty!  Dawn