OK, About All that Squash...

So, this one summer squash recipe really is an exact replica of my grandmother's Pennsylvania Dutch style spaghetti sauce, which, we call soup so I can avoid the starchy accompaniment. We slowly cooked a few onions in olive oil over low heat, added a lot of chopped green pepper and a few green hot peppers, and a whole slew of yellow squash and green squash and funny shaped squash, all summer varieties, cubed, with the seeds included. We stirred in basil and an assortment of tomatoes, plus 2 small cans of Muir Glen tomatoes with Italian herbs and one glass jar of Bionaturae crushed tomatoes. So, basically, that cooked a long time, covered and smelled amazingly great if I do say so myself. Then, I blended it for a smooth sauce, and after my first bite, I just couldn't believe it, imagine my surprise when it tasted like growing up...so, hmm, I am not sure her sauce had squash in it, but this was a taste match the likes of which I rarely can achieve, especially with my numerous substitutions (I mean I can't expect chick pea flour to taste like pure white) but who knew my vegetable sauce would taste like my grandmother's? Of course, she made hers in summer with fresh vegetables...

Whew, I have FINALLY used up all of last week's squash and with two and a half grams of fiber per cup (only 36 calories), high in manganese and vitamin C, squash is a really healthy summer vegetable. It also has folate, vitamins A and K and many other vitamins and minerals. The non-leafy non-green veggies tend to get a bad wrap but they really do have nutritional significance. We used pattypan, crookneck, straightneck and zucchini and really, any variety will do. The pattypan looks like a spaceship and is a touch sweeter than the others but they tend to cook the same if they are cut to a similar size.

p.s. If you don't blend it, call it ratatouille!