According to food writer and cookbook author Peggy Knickerbocker, summer squashes are”actually gourds harvested at an immature age, when the flesh and seeds are still edible.”
Summer squashes pass through several distinct stages: first the “baby, stage,” when the flavor is mild and they can be eaten in one bite; next, what we might call the “barely legal,” when the flesh is sweet and juicy with a pronounced corn-like flavor; and “over the hill,” when the flesh is spongy and the seeds are bitter and when, like most gourds, they are good only for ornamental purposes.
There are many distinct varieties of summer squash: the elegant scallopine or sunburst, with curled edges like a bicycle crank; the pettipan, or patty pan, small and perfect for roasting whole and stuffing; the crookneck, lovely but with an irregular shape almost impossible to cut into even pieces; the tapered, maraca-shaped “Zephyr,” yellow with a green tip; the round “Eight Ball” or calaba- cita, round as a billiard ball and probably the sweetest of all squashes; and the cylindrical Italian zucchini, by far the most widely used of summer squash varieties.
(This is not to forget the most exquisite byproduct of cultivating squash, the blossom, which if picked in cool, pre-dawn weather before it has a chance to open or wilt in the heat, is the ideal package for cheese or seafood.)
Summer squash, with its high water content, has a subtle, sweet flavor. I like to serve it with the classic accompaniments: garlic, tomato, basil, parmesan. But I also like to use anise flavor with it: Pernod or Sambuca in a chilled zucchini soup (finished with spinach and parmesan to enhance the bright green color), tarragon in a zucchini saute, or a pinch of toasted fennel seed in this raw marinated salad of thinly shaved zucchini, which plays on some of the flavors you’ll find in a Puttanesca sauce: onion, anchovy, capers, olives, parmesan, and chili flakes.
John Broening cooks at Duo Restaurant, .
Zucchini Puttanesca
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 pound fresh zucchini, or 4 zucchini, about 4-5 inches long
1 teaspoon fennel seed
4 tablespoons finely diced red onion
4 anchovies, preferably Ortiz, chopped
4 tablespoons chopped black olives, such as Kalamata or Alfonso
3 tablespoons capers
Pinch red chili flakes
4 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 basil leaves
Small piece parmesan
Directions
Place the zucchini in a bowl of warm water (this will loosen any residual dirt).
Remove and thoroughly wipe the zucchini with towels. Cut off the ends and cut the zucchini into strips that are about 4 to 5 inches long and 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate for up to an hour.
In a skillet over medium heat, toast the fennel until it just begins to change color. Immediately transfer to a plate.
No more than 10 minutes before serving, toss the zucchini with the fennel seed, onion, anchovies, olives, capers, chili flakes, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Tear or chop the basil into the zucchini and add shaved parmesan to taste.
Serve by itself or with swordfish, bass, or salmon.
