I am well known in my family as having a black thumb. Nothing green is safe within my purview. Nevertheless, in the past I have successfully managed a small vegetable garden. One of my more satisfying crops was the arrival of yellow squash and zucchini. I would be amazed at my success, which yielded seemingly bushels of squash.
Truth be told though, squash is almost always a success story in the garden.
We worked our way through our bounty but even into the Fall months we still had baskets of squash and couldn’t even give it away. Such is the seemingly never-ending season of the ubiquitous yellow squash.
Ironically, since my early gardening days, we can’t get enough of yellow squash, particularly when we make Curried Lemon Yellow Squash. The bland squash, even giant overgrown specimens we find in autumn, is a blank canvas and happily accommodates bold flavors like curry.
While Curried Lemon Yellow Squash is a great pairing with grilled meats and fish, my girls enjoy this best the next day when leftovers are mixed with chicken or vegetable broth then poured over cooked rice and shredded chicken to serve as a soup. Finished with the bright acidity of a lemon squeeze, Curried Lemon Yellow Squash with its deep golden hue brightens our shortening days. Soon, even the yellow squash will disappear from the market replaced by roots.
It’s a cool evening but still warm enough to dine outside. We sit down a little earlier than usual in order to capture the light. The sun quickly begins its descent beneath the trees marking the arrival of Fall. We take a look at our plates and dig in. We need to enjoy it all while it lasts.
- 2 Large yellow squash
- 1 Medium onion
- 1 Lemon
- 1-2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
- Salt and pepper to taste (check label on your curry powder to see if it contains salt. If so, be careful not to over salt.)
- Slice squash into thin slices, about an ⅛-inch thickness.
- Slice onions into thin slices
- Using a microplane grater* or the smallest holes on a box grater, lightly remove the yellow from the lemon, otherwise known as the zest. Be careful to rub lightly and only remove the yellow, you do not want the white pith underneath.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a large fry pan that has a lid. Add onions and sauté a few minutes until beginning to soften. Add lemon zest and stir.
- Add curry powder, stir to combine for one minute over heat.
- Add sliced squash and stir to combine. Lower heat to medium low and cover fry pan for a few minutes until squash softens.
- Remove cover, add juice of half lemon, or to taste. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve as a soup: Add broth to squash to thin out as a soup. Add cooked rice and chicken. Stir to combine and heat through. Add a squeeze of lemon, to taste.
- *Once in a while I will recommend products that I use and consider a key tool in the kitchen. The link is to Amazon to show a picture and make it easy to purchase. While I do receive a minuscule credit, I only mention tools I use myself and think will be helpful. Most of what I mention will also be available at any major kitchen store or sometimes Target.
- Following is a link to the microplane grater I use all the time for removing citrus zest and grating ginger and garlic with much less effort than a box grater.
- Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater
- I also use the following citrus juicer. It is the quickest way for me to extract the juice without the seeds. Easy enough for my kids to use for lemonade, too.
- Amco Enameled Aluminum Lemon Squeezer
