Nana’s Kitchen: Squash with Sour Cream and Dill

Nana’s Kitchen: Squash with Sour Cream and Dill

Greetings, home cooks, welcome to Nana’s Kitchen,

Seems like summer is starting to fade a little. The football games and other sports are making an appearance heralding the onset of fall. Some of my potted flowers are looking poorly despite careful attention. Gardens are being harvested and they, too, will be gone soon. However, we live in Ohio and there may yet be one last heat hurrah.

For the many gardeners out there zucchini and squash are a staple component of their garden produce. There are squash still on the vine and ready to use. So we’ll share a few simple recipes to use these pleasing vegetables. 

Squash with sour cream and dill 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds yellow squash
1/2 cup sliced onion
3/4 cup butter (4 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cut fresh dill
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
Paprika and sprigs fresh dill

Wash squash, cut diagonally into slices 1/2 inch thick.
Sauté onion in melted butter till soft and translucent over low to medium heat, being careful not to brown.
Add squash, salt , pepper, and dill, stir to combine.
Cover and cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes,stirring occasionally, till squash is tender. 
Drain off excess juice.
Transfer to serving dish. Spoon sour cream on squash, adding dill sprigs and few dashes of paprika.

Summer squash, yellow,crook neck, patty pan ,and zucchini may be used interchangeably in most recipes. These are best picked while small and tender. Larger, older squash will have more seeds and the skin may be tough requiring peeling and seeding. 
Other names and types of summer squash include: straight neck, crook neck, and zephyr squash, cousa , and round zucchini.Patty pan squash are sometimes called UFO squash do to their unusual, round, scalloped shape resembling a flying saucer. 

Zucchini with garlic

Ingredients:

1 pound zucchini, washed and thinly sliced.
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh basil

In large skillet sauté zucchini in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add garlic,salt and pepper. Cook till zucchini is soft and tender. Stirring occasionally. 
Drain off excess oil. Stir in basil, about 2 teaspoon.
Serve. Enjoy.

Hints:
The yellow squash,after cooking, really needs to drain. I think a colander may help. Perhaps taking the lid off the skillet in the last few minutes of cooking to evaporate some of the water from the squash would help. The onion cooked well without browning.
Do not hold back on the dill. The combination of the dill and sour cream with the squash is delicious.
I forgot to add the paprika in the picture but added before serving. Added a nice color and subtle flavor.

The zucchini cooked nicely with the garlic over med heat. This was less watery than the squash. The basil added a fresh flavor. 

1891 Advice to the Harried
When you are tired of life, and all its busy scenes.
Just jump into the garden, and hide behind the beans!