Southern Cooking Squash Casserole
Yellow Summer Squash Casserole / Zucchini Squash
*This recipe’s a keeper!
Ingredients:
10 or so small to medium squash
2 medium onions, chopped
Saltine cracker crumbs, bread crumbs or cornmeal
2 or 3 beaten eggs (depending on size of squash)
Optional - ½ to 1 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash squash and cut in pieces for cooking. Cook squash and onions together with as little water as possible without scorching or cooking dry or burning. Mash the mixture so there are no pieces of squash visible. Add cracker crumbs, stir. Add eggs, stir. If using cheese, add it. Add salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees until puffed up and slightly golden/brown.
This is a terrific recipe that goes well with so many meals. How simple! There are many varieties of this dish out there but I think you’ll find this one is simple and has no equal. Low fat and nutritious, it’s especially good in the summer when squash is in season and so plentiful. This dish will convert the reluctant squash palate. It’s happened over and over. The eggs make it much like a soufflé, giving it a nice light texture. The addition of cheese is a personal preference, and clearly an optional ingredient. With regard to the squash, you may use what is on hand – yellow, zucchini or a combination of both. Take care not to have too much liquid when cooking the squash; else you will have to pour off all those nutritious juices prior to adding the other ingredients. More liquid can be compensated for by adding another egg.
History of recipe:
When I lived in Atlanta in 1968 and 1969, Aunt Fanny’s Cabin in Smyrna, was a special treat for us. We enjoyed the unique causal atmosphere and the excellent southern cooking – so much so, the when I married we choose Aunt Fanny’s Cabin for the rehearsal dinner.
Once when we were dining there, I asked our waitress if she knew how to make the squash dish. She did indeed and wrote it down on her order pad for me. I’ve served it for forty-some years - to my guest’s delight. In business for approximately fifty years, it closed its doors in 1992. Here’s a link to the history of the restaurant:
http://tomitronics.com/old_buildings/aunt%20fanny/index.html
