Summer squash skillet

When fresh, locally grown summer vegetables are abundant I do everything I can to get them onto the dinner table, and I make this summer squash in a skillet at least twice a week all summer long.

My recipes often are more about the cooking technique as opposed to a long list of ingredients and spices. I’m sharing the simplest version of preparation and you can feel free to add fresh herbs to your taste.

I wrote this recipe using shallots, which are my favorite, but you can substitute sweet Vidalia onions if that’s what you have on hand.

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I use medium-sized squash but you can easily adapt this recipe to make a larger batch. Just add more onion and olive oil if you’re using more squash.

Ingredients
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
½ cup of shallots, thinly sliced
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Shallots come in various sizes, so measure about a half-cup of thinly sliced shallots.

Place a large skillet over low heat to warm for a couple of minutes before adding the olive oil to the pan. Start with 3 tablespoons and add in one or two more tablespoons if you feel that it’s needed. I’m generous when cooking vegetables with olive oil, so I use 4 tablespoons when cooking and I’ll add in an extra drizzle if I feel that it’s needed.

Add the shallots (or sweet onions) and stir them well into the oil.

Raise the heat to medium-low and cook for about 8 minutes or until soft and starting to brown a bit on the edges.
Thinly slice the zucchini and yellow squash. Add them to the skillet and stir in well with the onions.

Cook over medium low for about 5 minutes before raising the heat to medium. Raising the heat slowly helps the squash to soften evenly. If the heat is too high to start, the squash will turn dark brown from the heat but the interior will be raw.

Stir and flip the squash in the pan every 3 to 4 minutes until the squash softens but still has a soft bite to it. It will take a good 20 minutes to sauté this to the right consistency.

If you’d like to add in fresh herbs, add a tablespoon at the end, mix well and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

This pairs well with everything and makes 2 to 4 servings, depending on portion size.

I often fill half of my dinner plate with squash, and in that case, this will make 2 very large portions.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.