pieces
)
SCANT ¼ TSP KOSHER SALT
½ TSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1 TBSP FINELY GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
1
Slice the asparagus
on a very sharp angle into pieces that are about 2 in/5 cm long and about ¼ in/6.5 mm in diameter at their thickest point. You’ll get 6 to 7 pieces from each stalk.
2
In a medium (9- to 10-in/23- to 25-cm) nonstick skillet
, heat the olive oil and ½ Tbsp of the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter has melted, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add the asparagus to the skillet, season with the salt, and return the pan to the heat, raising it to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the asparagus pieces are nicely browned, up to 10 minutes. They will still be firm, but not crunchy. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining ½ Tbsp butter and the balsamic vinegar (it will sizzle). Stir right away and keep stirring until the butter has melted. Transfer the asparagus to a serving dish or dinner plates and garnish with the Parmigiano and the pancetta crisps.
Serves 2
Brown Butter Summer Squash “Linguine”
Hoorah! There’s finally a great way to cook summer squash, that poor unfortunate victim of too many “vegetable medleys,” in which the overgrown squash is thickly sliced, overcooked, and served in a pool of liquid. Young squash—diced small and cooked fast—are yummy. Even better, if you treat yourself to a really cool hand tool—a julienne peeler, which only costs about seven dollars—you can make the quickest, tastiest squash dish ever.
To make squash “linguine,” peel the squash all the way around until you reach the seed core. The teeth on the peeler cut the squash into thin strips, which not only look beautiful, but cook in a heartbeat. I like to make the longest strips possible by peeling the entire length of squash in one stroke. However, to avoid running the peeler into your fingers, you can do one end of the squash first, flip the squash around, and then peel the other. Your strips will be half as long, but still nice looking.
In this recipe, I quickly sauté the “linguine” in brown butter for a super-fast side dish. You could just wrap it up with salt and a squeeze of lemon, but I’ve added almonds, as nutty flavors pair really well with all squashes. (Hazelnuts are good here, too.) You can substitute zucchini for half of the summer squash, if you like. Serve this with grilled scallops or shrimp.
1½ LB/680 G YOUNG YELLOW (
summer
) SQUASH (
about 4)
2 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
2 TBSP FINELY CHOPPED ALMONDS OR HAZELNUTS
1 TSP KOSHER SALT
2 TSP CHOPPED FRESH TARRAGON OR PARSLEY
½ LEMON
1
Wash and dry the squash
and trim off the ends. Using a julienne peeler, peel the squash lengthwise all the way around, dropping the strips into a bowl. Continue peeling until you reach the seed core. Discard the core and peel the other squash in the same fashion. Toss the squash strips and separate any that are clumping together.
2
In a 10-in/25-cm straight-sided sauté pan
, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and swirl the butter around in the pan. Cook the butter until it reaches a nutty brown color (the almonds should be light brown by then), about 2 minutes. The color turns quickly so keep an eye on it—it will be more flavorful if you take it beyond a very light brown, but you don’t want it to turn black. Immediately add the squash and salt. Toss the squash gently with tongs until it is well coated with the butter. Continue cooking just until the squash becomes slightly limp, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in half of the chopped herbs, and squeeze a little of the lemon over the squash and toss. Taste and add more lemon, if desired. Transfer the squash to a serving dish or plates and garnish with the remaining herbs.
Serves 3 to 4
Spinach with Shallots and Parmigiano
Sometimes I
)
SCANT ¼ TSP KOSHER SALT
½ TSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1 TBSP FINELY GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
1
Slice the asparagus
on a very sharp angle into pieces that are about 2 in/5 cm long and about ¼ in/6.5 mm in diameter at their thickest point. You’ll get 6 to 7 pieces from each stalk.
2
In a medium (9- to 10-in/23- to 25-cm) nonstick skillet
, heat the olive oil and ½ Tbsp of the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter has melted, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add the asparagus to the skillet, season with the salt, and return the pan to the heat, raising it to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the asparagus pieces are nicely browned, up to 10 minutes. They will still be firm, but not crunchy. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining ½ Tbsp butter and the balsamic vinegar (it will sizzle). Stir right away and keep stirring until the butter has melted. Transfer the asparagus to a serving dish or dinner plates and garnish with the Parmigiano and the pancetta crisps.
Serves 2
Brown Butter Summer Squash “Linguine”
Hoorah! There’s finally a great way to cook summer squash, that poor unfortunate victim of too many “vegetable medleys,” in which the overgrown squash is thickly sliced, overcooked, and served in a pool of liquid. Young squash—diced small and cooked fast—are yummy. Even better, if you treat yourself to a really cool hand tool—a julienne peeler, which only costs about seven dollars—you can make the quickest, tastiest squash dish ever.
To make squash “linguine,” peel the squash all the way around until you reach the seed core. The teeth on the peeler cut the squash into thin strips, which not only look beautiful, but cook in a heartbeat. I like to make the longest strips possible by peeling the entire length of squash in one stroke. However, to avoid running the peeler into your fingers, you can do one end of the squash first, flip the squash around, and then peel the other. Your strips will be half as long, but still nice looking.
In this recipe, I quickly sauté the “linguine” in brown butter for a super-fast side dish. You could just wrap it up with salt and a squeeze of lemon, but I’ve added almonds, as nutty flavors pair really well with all squashes. (Hazelnuts are good here, too.) You can substitute zucchini for half of the summer squash, if you like. Serve this with grilled scallops or shrimp.
1½ LB/680 G YOUNG YELLOW (
summer
) SQUASH (
about 4)
2 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
2 TBSP FINELY CHOPPED ALMONDS OR HAZELNUTS
1 TSP KOSHER SALT
2 TSP CHOPPED FRESH TARRAGON OR PARSLEY
½ LEMON
1
Wash and dry the squash
and trim off the ends. Using a julienne peeler, peel the squash lengthwise all the way around, dropping the strips into a bowl. Continue peeling until you reach the seed core. Discard the core and peel the other squash in the same fashion. Toss the squash strips and separate any that are clumping together.
2
In a 10-in/25-cm straight-sided sauté pan
, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and swirl the butter around in the pan. Cook the butter until it reaches a nutty brown color (the almonds should be light brown by then), about 2 minutes. The color turns quickly so keep an eye on it—it will be more flavorful if you take it beyond a very light brown, but you don’t want it to turn black. Immediately add the squash and salt. Toss the squash gently with tongs until it is well coated with the butter. Continue cooking just until the squash becomes slightly limp, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in half of the chopped herbs, and squeeze a little of the lemon over the squash and toss. Taste and add more lemon, if desired. Transfer the squash to a serving dish or plates and garnish with the remaining herbs.
Serves 3 to 4
Spinach with Shallots and Parmigiano
Sometimes I
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