Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

This Blog post is written by my boys. They are in Boston without me right now, tending the garden and going to sailing camp. Apparently, while I was away my patty pan squash turned enormous, and my boys created this recipe for dinner tonight. I am so proud of them! I am proud they grew the squash. I am proud they came up with a creative way to eat it. I am proud they could execute the idea, and then super proud that they thought it was blog-worthy, and wrote the blog themselves for publishing. So here it is...by my guest writers and guest chefs...usually the blog photo sensations...the Riddle boys.

What do you make when mom's away and the boys find unexpected squash in her garden? 

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash!

We were surprised when we found these strange squash in our garden. They looked like little yellow umbrellas. We asked our garden guru, Marjorie, and she told us they were "patty pan squash." She went to Newburry College for a culinary degree, and worked in the kitchens of Harvard Business School and Westin Hotels where she saw these squash served. She told us she has only seen them once at Haymarket, but you don't normally see them in the grocery store because fancy restaurants buy them up first.

Apparently, they are normally picked when they are small (golf-ball sized) because they are more tender. Marjorie would serve 3-4 on a plate. However, ours are the size of a soup bowl (upside down), because we have been away for two weeks, leaving no one to pick our fancy-schmancy squash.

We harvested 3 squash, and decided it would be best to eat them stuffed. Preferably with something delicious and nutritious. The sin is a little tough, but the flesh of the squash is light, mild and refreshing.

Some Comments while we were eating:

"This is way better than Wahlburgers!" "Yeah, and cheaper too!"

"This will be a meal that we remember."

" I think we can all agree that this stuffing will need to be used in other recipes."

So if you ever find something unexpected in your garden, just ask the old ladies who hand out in the community garden every day. They know their stuff!

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash:

Ingredients:

3 Large Patty Pan Squash

1 lb Ground Turkey

4  Slices of Bacon, cut into one inch pieces

2 small fresh onions with greens (or one medium onion)

1 bunch (6-8 leaves) of Swiss Chard, chopped

1 bunch (6-8 leaves) kale, stems removed & chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Eggs

2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

8-12 fresh Basil leaves, chopped

Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cut the top off of the squash, hollow out the insides to 1/2 inch thickness. Discard the seeds, but save the scraped squash for the stuffing. Cook the squash bowls and lids in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Cook the bacon in the skillet until browned. Add the onions, garlic, scraped squash and swiss chard stems. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

When the vegetables have cooked, add the ground turkey. After the turkey is cooked, add the swiss chard and kale leaves along with the wine, simmering until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Just before stuffing, stir in the eggs, basil and cheese.

Stuff the squash with the stuffing mixture, then bake with the lids on for 30 minutes, until the outside of the squash starts to brown.

Enjoy!