(As read and prepared by Alex Tuller for teh September 8, 2005 podcast.)
What to do with the squash? You have probably gotten sort of sick of sautaéed squash at this point in the summer. Well there are a bunch of different things you can do like make breads and so forth. I use squash as filler for things like quiche and savory pies.
The pie I am going to describe uses puff pastry as a top and bottom so it looks more like a big empanada. I also use frozen puff pastry, but feel free to make it from scratch, it is not too difficult.
1 Box frozen puff pastry thawed according to the directions on the box
1 egg beaten with a Tablespoon or so of water
2 medium onions, sliced very thin
1 clove garlic finely diced
2 medium shredded squashes
Herb of choice: thyme or basil or sage
3 T butter
Optional for the meat eater
1-2 ounces bacon
or
smoked turkey diced
or
any left over meat chopped into small pieces
Optional for the cheese eaters
2-4 oz Goat Cheese
If you are using bacon, cook it first and then drain it and crumble it. Set aside.
Turn on oven to 400.
Take a large sautee pan with a lid and sweat the onions in the butter over low, low heat until they nearly disintegrate. This will take about 30 minutes. Make sure they don’t brown and stir them every 10 minutes. Next add the garlic, shredded squash and herb of choice. Up the temperature to just slightly higher and cook for another 10-15 minutes with the lid on or until the squash is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
At this point if you are going to add meat, add it into the dish and set it aside.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Roll out one sheet of the thawed puff pastry using a little flower on the board to prevent sticking and transfer to the cookie sheet. Distribute the onion-squash mixture to the pastry leaving about an inch on the edges. If you are using cheese then dot the cheese throughout the top of the mixture. Dampen the edge with a little cold water. This will help the top stick to it and creates a seal so the mixture doesn’t leak. Roll out the second sheet and place on top. Fold up the bottom pastry on top of the top layer and use a fork to press it down creating a pretty seal. Brush the beaten egg over the top of the pastry and put into preheated oven.
Check it in 20 minutes. It should be golden brown. Remove. Wait 5 minutes before consuming, or you’ll burn your mouth. Yummy.