what to do with all that summer squash

Well...this post is about to make a liar of me. I was so adamant in my last post about my not baking much...and here I am with another baked good. There is a very good reason for this...I assure you. That is my CSA. See, I live in NY and in my girlfriend and mine's attempt at being greener, we've joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Basically what happens is we pay a fee in the winter time to help support a local farmer, and now for 24 weeks during the summer, we get fresh organic produce every week for "free". Well...let me tell you about the amount of produce we've got in our fridge. A ton of greens, fresh zucchini, and an abundance of summer squash. Seriously, if anyone in NYC would like some...just leave a comment...we've got a TON (and we get 3 more lbs. tomorrow).

In an attempt to use a rather large portion of the squash in one fell swoop, I decided to make a loaf of summer squash bread. After a little research on the web and reading a handful of recipes and reviews, I cobbled together the following recipe and took it for a test drive last night, after a dinner of a REALLY BIG SALAD. I must say that I didn't have high hopes for the recipe, and, again, my baking experience is limited so I was even more trepidacious about the execution. But alas, I prevailed, and was more than pleasantly surprised at the outcome. It's sweet, moist, light and fluffy and makes an excellent dessert with a cup of tea after any meal. Here it is.

Summer Squash Bread

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 stick melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 cups shredded summer squash

Crumb Topping

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs until fluffy. Beat in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold in the squash. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.

Combine all ingredients for crumb topping in a small bowl. Final mixture should be lumpy. Sprinkle on top of batter in loaf pan.

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

I won't say anything about not baking again...I promise. But don't be surprised when you don't see anymore baked goods popping up on this blog. Tomorrow it's back to saute pans and unmeasured herbs. That being said, enjoy a hearty loaf of summer squash bread...and should you be running low on squash...please, have some of mine !!!

Mangia e statti zitto...

cheers...

dunkin