So. Much. Squash!

It was our first year planting a real vegetable garden (as opposed to just herbs), and to be honest, it's been a mixed bag. For some reason, the beans I planted never came up, but the peas were great. I also was late getting tomatoes in, but our yellow squash produced like crazy. Even at this late date, I'm still getting green peppers, so I kept the plant, even though I've cleared out everything else. I started a late fall/winter crop of collard greens, kale, spinach and brussels sprouts, but I think the rabbits are getting to those, despite our attempts to keep them away. Stupid rabbits.

I know it's kind of late in the season for a "summer" squash recipe, but because this would make a great appetizer, I thought I would post it now. Plus, I know you can still get summer squash in some areas, so it is still useful. :-) We had these for a light dinner, but they would be impressive as an appetizer as well (just make them smaller, more bite-sized).

 Because my squashes had such knobby skin, I peeled them a little before I grated them, but I doubt you'll have that problem. Turns out, I left them on the vine too long. Live and learn, I guess.



Summer Squash Fritters with Herbed Cream and Smoked Trout


For the fritters:

1 lb of summer squash, grated (to get about 3 cups)
3 scallions, chopped fine
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until fully-incorporated. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tbsp of oil to pan and let that heat up for about 30 seconds. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake on the skillet and cook about 2 minutes, then flip. Cook another 2 minutes (each side of the pancake should be golden brown).

Herbed Cream:

1 cup sour cream of plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill until ready to use.

To serve:

8 oz smoked trout
2 radishes, julienned
Herbed cream

On top of each fritter, dollop about 2 teaspoons of the herbed cream, then flake some of the smoked trout on top, followed by a few of the julienned radishes.



As a light entree, this recipe served 4, with about 2-3 pancakes per person. To make as an appetizer, just make smaller fritters (say, 1 tbsp of batter versus the 1/4 cup for "full-sized).