Squash are small funny vegetables of an unusual shape, similar to flying saucers with lace.
Patisson is a close relative of pumpkin and vegetable marrow. Its fruits are harvested on the fifth or sixth day of ripening: graceful pumpkins-snowflakes are especially tender when they are plucked small. They are so beautiful that a rare chef will raise a hand to cut them into cubes or rings. The flesh of the squash is carefully cut out, filled with filling (minced meat, mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, cheese, corn and even sweet cream) and baked in the oven or on the grill. Squash is good to cook with hot and aromatic spices – they take over the slightest nuances of taste.
Not as juicy as zucchini, but dense and crunchy, they keep their shape perfectly, therefore they are ideal for stuffing and elegant serving of dishes. You should choose medium-sized young fruits that have a light green skin color, without scratches and signs of rotting.
Read more about squash, about the presence of vitamins and trace elements in them here. What to cook from squash is given by everyone who is going to buy this product. Of course, in an elementary way, fried squash will be extraordinarily tasty, but let’s see what else you can cook tasty and interesting from squash.
Squash salad
Ingredients:
- Patisson – 2 pcs.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Green onions – 1/2 bunch
- Dill – 1/2 bunch
- Mayonnaise – 100 gr.
- Mustard – 1 tbsp. l.
- Horseradish – 1 tbsp. l.
- Salt, ground black pepper – to taste.
Rinse the squash, if you are cooking from young vegetables, do not remove the skin. Cut the squash into thin strips, salt, mix with chopped onions and horseradish, mix, add pepper. For dressing, mix mustard with mayonnaise, put on vegetables, stir, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs and serve.
Vegetable caviar from squash
Ingredients:
- Patisson – 1 kg.
- Tomato – 5 pcs.
- Carrots – 2 pieces.
- Bulgarian pepper – 2 pc.
- Onions – 2 pc.
- Garlic – 5 teeth
- Chili pepper – 1 pcs.
- Parsley – 1/2 bunch
- Dill – 1/2 bunch
- Sunflower oil – 1/2 cup
- Sugar – 1 st. l.
- Salt, ground black pepper – to taste.
Rinse and peel vegetables and chop coarsely. Chop the garlic and chili, dry the herbs with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onions for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a container and fry the squash for 3-4 minutes, transfer to the onion. Fry the bell peppers and carrots for 5-6 minutes, add to the rest of the vegetables. Grind fried vegetables, tomatoes and herbs with a blender or meat grinder, add garlic and chili and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir and cook for 20-25 minutes. Add sugar, salt and pepper, simmer for 3 minutes, stir and turn off the heat. For storage, transfer the caviar to sterilized jars, seal, turn over and wrap it in a warm blanket. Can be served immediately after cooking with boiled potatoes and toasted bread.
Squash pancakes
Ingredients:
- Patisson – 3 pcs.
- Egg – 4 pcs.
- Wheat flour – 100 gr.
- Sunflower oil – 3 tbsp. l.
- Salt, ground black pepper – to taste.
Rinse the squash, grate, add salt and pepper. Introduce the eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously with a fork. Sift flour, stir and bake pancakes in hot oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with sour cream.
Pickled squash
Ingredients:
- Patisson – 1 kg.
- Garlic – 4 teeth
- Horseradish leaf – 2 pcs.
- Dill – 1 umbrella
- Bay leaf – 4 pcs.
- Carnation – 4 pcs.
- Black pepper (peas) – 10 pcs.
- Water – 1 l.
- Vinegar – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 25
- Salt – 50
For pickling, you need to choose small squash, rinse and cut off the stalks. Place vegetables in boiling water, cook for five minutes and transfer to very cold water. Put washed herbs and peeled garlic, spices, squash in prepared jars. Boil water, add salt, sugar and vinegar. Pour the jars with hot marinade, close the lids and leave in a warm place.
Squash appetizer
Ingredients:
- Patisson – 3 pcs.
- Tomato – 2 pcs.
- Minced beef – 200 gr.
- Russian cheese – 70 gr.
- Mayonnaise – 50 gr.
- Sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- Salt, ground black pepper – to taste.
Rinse the squash, cut into circles 1-1,5 cm thick.Place in a greased baking dish, sprinkle each circle with oil. Top with tomatoes cut into rings and minced meat, seasoned with salt and pepper. Send to an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater, mix with mayonnaise, put on the minced meat, cook for another 10 minutes.
The whole stuffed squash looks very elegant. An easy-to-prepare and effective dish for any festive table is convenient because the portions are already ready, you just need to calculate the number of squash according to the number of guests.
Stuffed Patissons
Ingredients:
- Patisson – 4 pcs.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Beef – 0,5 kg.
- Rice – 100 g.
- Butter – 20 gr.
- Sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- Sour cream – 300 gr.
- Russian cheese – 100 gr.
- Greens – for serving
- Salt, ground black pepper – to taste.
Rinse the squash, cut off the top, carefully remove the pulp with a spoon, leaving the walls a little more than 1 centimeter thick. Dip the resulting pots in boiling water for 3 minutes. Chop the onion, brown in sunflower oil and chop with a meat grinder or blender along with the meat. Boil rice until half cooked, mix with meat, season with salt and pepper. Stuff the squash with minced meat, cover with grated cheese on top and cook in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove the dish, pour over sour cream and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Serve garnished with finely chopped herbs.
You can find interesting ideas and variants of dishes that can be prepared from squash in our section “Recipes”.