Adventures in Squash Part I: Introducing... The Squiche

I celebrate the unique characteristics of my favorite vegetables, sometimes to the point of endowing them with personalities. Leeks, for example, are hilarious. They're a national emblem of Wales, and they're full of sand. I adore the things.

Stuff me!

Pattypan squash are adorable. From their precious name - pattypan! - to their scalloped, top-like appearance, they are a delight.

Pattypans beg to be stuffed with things. I've stuffed them with a mixture of sauteed shallot, corn, and the squash innards I'd dug out to hollow them. Parmigiano reggiano cheese and parsley completed the filling nicely, and then a little bit of a very light custard-y mixture of egg, milk and salt topped off the little pretties before going into the oven.

I found a great recipe (and some gorgeous porny food photos) on My Pet Chicken Blog for my next foray into stuffing the pattypan.  Essentially, you're filling your hollowed out pattypans with a basic quiche + whatever you like in your quiche. And squash filled with quiche is... squiche! 

Here's how I made The Squiche:

Ingredients

Pattypan squash
Onion, sliced
Olive Oil
Quiche filling (whatever you like/have fresh in the house)
Egg mixture

• Eggs (about 1 per squash)
• A little milk
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• Salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

I decided to make my quiche filling with cherry tomatoes, since I had lovely sweet ones fresh from the garden.  I also had some cheddar cheese to add.

I started out by hollowing out my pattypans with a spoon, reserving the guts for later.  I ended up using the guts for vegetable enchiladas a couple days later.

• Tip: The hollowed out pattypans should be placed into the dish you're going to bake them in, because it won't be easy to move them once you've gotten them all filled with the stuffing. 

Next, I caramelized the sliced onion in olive oil.

Into the hollowed out pattypans went a layer of caramelized onions and the halved cherry tomatoes. 






On top of that went shreds of sharp cheddar cheese.

• Vampin' Lady True Confession: I keep pre-shredded cheese around.  I mostly do this with cheddar, but sometimes with mozzarella for pizzas, and very occasionally with parmigiano-reggiano for easy risottos.

On went another layer of caramelized onions, and then the egg mixture (I'd whisked all the ingredients together in a bowl) to fill out the inside of the squash.  You want them to be full but not overflowing.

• Tip: From previous experience stuffing squash, I knew to add about a quarter-inch-high layer of water to the dish.  The water helps to tenderize the little creatures while they bake. 

And they are damn cute.

20 minutes, give or take, in the oven (or until the tops are golden brown) and your little squiche are ready to devour. 











My husband, Mr. Hits, DJs my cooking. This recipe was accompanied by

The Damned: Neat Neat Neat
Daft Punk: Human After All