If your house is anything like ours, it is currently abundant in squash. There are big zucchini squashes from the CSA share, a nice yellow squash from a friend’s garden…. squash taking up all the space at the farmer’s market…no doubt, squash is about and abundant this time of year.
A few years back, my husband developed an awesome, award-worthy solution to our summer squash excesses. This*secret family recipe* that I am about to share with you, is the direct result of my talented husband’s culinary tinkering, and it is AMAZING. DELICIOUS. And, never before revealed to anyone who asked. My family members have not been able to pry it out of him. The neighbor writing a cookbook has not gotten him to write it down. But for you, dear reader, he is willing to reveal his best kept secret:”Mike’s Squash Bruschetta”. Take it away Mike!
Now that’s an intro guaranteed to disappoint, but here goes…this is less of a recipe and more of a combination of flavors that bring some great vegetarian tastes to a BBQ/grill party. Grilled squash (whatever you’ve got) is the star with fresh accent flavors to round out the experience. I typically use:
- 3-4 medium squash, preferably a mix of yellow and green
- Handful of pitted black or green olives, kalamatas work…or better yet those big green ones stuffed with garlic
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 1 jar artichokes in oil
- fresh round of crusty bread; sliced 1/2 inch thick
- handful of fresh basil; roll the leaves together and slice as thinly as possible on the diagonal
- good olive oil, salt, fresh pepper, and crushed red pepper
Slice the squash lengthwise about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick – just thick enough that the slices don’t fall through the grill slots. Chop the garlic and add with the squash to a large bowl with olive oil to coat and a generous pinch of kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and a small pinch of the red pepper. Stir and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
Make sure the grill is getting really hot. Open and drain the artichoke, but don’t rinse it. Roughly chop the artichoke and olives – set aside. Brush the sliced bread with olive oil and check the grill. When it’s very hot – use some tongs and remove the squash from the bowl and place on grill. There should still be oil and garlic mixture at the bottom of the bowl – this is good you will use it later. Grill the squash for 2-4 minutes or until some charring – flip and grill 1-2 minutes more – you want some good char marks, but don’t let them get mushy. Remove to a cutting board and let cool. Add the bread to the grill for 1-2 minutes per side until nicely toasted. This is your opportunity to make some nice looking grill marks on the bread with the old rotate 45 degrees halfway through grilling trick.
Chop the grilled squash into small squares of about 1/3 inch. Now for the trick. Add the chopped squash back to the “dirty” bowl with garlic oil marinade. Add the chopped olives, artichokes, and feta cheese. Add 3/4 of the basil and stir it up – getting all the oil and garlic mixed in. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve by placing several slices of bread on a long plate, spoon a pile of the bruscetta on each piece of bread, add a little pile of basil, and drizzle some olive oil on top. Serve the rest of the mixture in a bowl and the remaining bread on a separate plate – let everyone make their own seconds.
I’ve served this as a main course several times but it’s also a great appetizer. Feel free to experiment with the ratios and adapt to your own tastes. Pair with a glass of cold Vinho Verde, a delightful young wine from Portugal with a hint of bubbles...Enjoy.
