I garden with a family friend who keeps a lush garden in honor of his Uncle Joe whose family came from Italy. The rows of zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, garlic, peppers and basil all pay homage to his Mediterranean heritage growing in the rich soil of the North Fork.
Zucchini and Summer squash are some of the only vegetables that are hard to give away during the summer but I am always happy to take them. Zucchini Vichysoisse, Zucchini bread and muffins, summer squash or zucchini latkes or baked-stuffed zucchini are all great ways to serve these low-fat, low glycemic and low carb vegetables.
This morning I put a giant summer squash through the shredding attachment of my food processor along with whole wheat bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese and eggs and I embarked on a latke challenge. Making the the mix was easy but frying them is real work so it’s best to enlist a friend, husband or helper of any kind (helper is best in order to preserve friendship and/or marriage).
If you pair this with your grain of choice, you will have a light but satisfying dinner with an exotic twist. Your guests will enjoy the sweet and savory tang of the spicy mango sauce on the delicate summer squash latke paired with a white summer sangria.
Recipe for the Latkes
1 large summer squash, washed and grated (do not peel)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 small onion, peeled and minced
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Choice of seasoning such as paprika, red pepper flakes or turmeric
The night before, grate the squash, add the salt and toss in a bowl. Cover with wrap or lid to use the next day.
Pour contents of bowl through a colander, squeezing out excess water — discard the water.
Beat 3 eggs and add to the squash along with the minced onion, bread crumbs and cheese.
Season to taste by adding additional salt, fresh black pepper or paprika
Mix to a thick muffin batter consistency and heat a flat pan on medium to high temperature with 2 tablespoons of oil
When pan is hot, spoon mixture onto the skillet in 3 to 5 inch rounds and cook to golden brown on each side
Place on cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain and cool until ready to serve
Recipe for the spicy Mango Salsa
Peel and cut a mango (the less ripe the better) and cut into chunks
Puree in blender with 1 cup of seasonedfork garden stock
Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
Add 1 tablespoon of Sriracha and pour into a pitcher
In a skillet, heat a tablespoon of black mustard seed with 3 tablespoons of EVOO and toast the seeds until they release their aroma. Set aside to cool.
Once cooled, stir the oil with seeds into the mango puree and incorporate
This sauce can be kept up to three weeks and is also great on grilled fish and poultry.
Serve the latkes on a platter with your favorite grain. I served mine with a vegetarian quinoa pilaf with East End Maitake mushrooms and fresh herbs. This dish can be easily served at room temperature.
