Summer Squash
This recipe and plating style is adapted from Thomas Keller's Masterclass. Summer time is here, which means you should start seeing piles of tomatoes at the markets. Today was the first day that I found local heirloom tomatoes and summer squash, so I grabbed a few with no intention of combining them. As usual, I caught a wiff of inspiration from Thomas Keller's masterclass and decided to do something similar. My variation was making a quick tomato pan sauce using as little salt as possible. The sodium was replaced with some champagne vinegar, which gave this dish a bright and delicious flavor. I did use some salt, but nowhere near as much as I normally use.
Ingredients
3-4 golden rod squash or green zucchini
1 large heirloom tomato or 3 small / medium
3 large shallots
1 small bunch fresh basil
10oz chicken stock
1/3 cup sauv blanc or dry white wine
kosher salt
1-2 tbsp champagne vinega
Cookware
2 x 12" Cast Iron Skillet
12" saute pan
1/2 sheet pan
1/2 sheet rack
Kitchen towels
Short and Sweet Instructions
split and score squash
season flesh side with salt, cover with towels for 30 mins to draw out water
saute flesh side down and finish in oven 20-30 mins
saute shallots and garlic till translucent
deglaze with wine, reduce by 2/3
add chopped tomatoes
cook over medium heat until broken down. 7-10 mins
add chicken stock
cook over medium heat until reduced by 3/4
season with salt and champagne vinegar (1tbsp vinegar to start)
add torn basil and let steep for 5 mins until fragrant before serving
spoon over zucchini
drizzle with evoo
crack some black pepper over top
