Patty Pan Squash with Pea-Salmon-Mint Salad
Here in Chicago, our summer weather is sometimes as unpleasant as our infamous winter weather. The thermostat routinely hits 90+ degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is even worse. Just walking to the train and back makes you sweat. It’s not like this every day — or even on consecutive days. When one of those incredibly hot-and-humid days hits us, I can barely stand to drink coffee, much less eat a full meal. But as it is, you have to eat. One of the good things about our summer is that even this early in the season, our farmers’ market produce is pretty varied and excellent. So I pulled together this light, tasty, all veggie meal that was nearly perfect for the super-sticky dog days of June. I used a significant amount of butter on the squash, which you could probably lessen if you wanted, but to me, it kind of made the meal.
Patty-Pan Squash
Serves 2
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 pint patty pan squash, each piece cut in half
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons paprika
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan on medium. Add garlic cloves, then squash, cut-side up, and add salt and paprika. Pan-fry squash until soft, adding paprika and salt to taste as necessary. Remove squash one by one with tongs and put on plates to serve. Top with four cloves garlic each. Spoon leftover butter-paprika mixture from pan over squash and garlic cloves. Serve while warm.
Pea, Smoked Salmon, and Mint Salad
Serves 2
1 cup fresh English peas, shelled
1 tsp hazelnut oil
3 oz. smoked salmon, chopped
2 tablespoons mint leaves, torn
Boil salted water in a steamer, then place peas into steamer basket, steam until tender. Remove steamer basket, rinse peas with cold water until room temperature and put into bowl. Add hazelnut oil and mix until coated. Add salmon and mint, then toss lightly and serve.
