The most successful way of use of seasonal vegetables is a preparation of lungs of the plain dishes allowing not only to preserve the hostess's time but also as much as possible to keep useful properties of initial products. Simple squash dishes, thanks to the low caloric content and high concentration of vitamins and minerals, can be used in a children's, dietary, vegetarian or sports food allowance.
Squash, as well as the majority of other vegetables of family of pumpkin, differ in the high content of cellulose, ascorbic acid, potassium and other substances making positive impact on work of a digestive tract and the cardiovascular system of the person. For this reason the simple squash dishes are recommended to the people leading a healthy lifestyle, or needing a low-calorie diet with use of hypoallergenic products.
Squash soup
Preparation of this light first course requires a minimum of products:
- 2 young squash;
- small head of onions;
- 5 l of low-fat chicken broth;
- 200 ml of 10% of sour cream;
- 10-15 g of a desi;
- garlic segment;
- spices – to taste.
Preparation of cream soup from squash won't occupy more than half an hour: onions and garlic cut on small slices, fry about 5-7 minutes in the kindled oil then they add the squash chopped on small cubes to vegetables. If for soup young squash are used, then rather simply carefully to wash out them and to dry slightly a paper towel; it is desirable to clean overripe squash from a thick peel which can spoil a delicate flavor of a dish.
Within 5 minutes vegetable weight is fried on small fire, without forgetting to stir slowly periodically then pour in chicken broth and bring it to the boil. Soup is cooked by about 3-5 minutes then remove from a plate, add spices and sour cream.
By means of the blender the contents of a pan are crushed before receiving a uniform mix, once again heat it on small fire and given to a table, having strewed cream squash soup with croutons, fresh or dried greens. To give to soup a juicy note, at a frying stage it is possible to add 300-400 g of a root of a celery to vegetables.
Traditional vegetable stew from squash
Classical dish of the summer kitchen ragout from squash is considered: it not only easily and quickly is preparing, but also allows use and combination of any products which are available in the house.
For preparation of simple ragout the young squash, large carrots, several potatoes, a bulb and paprika are cut on cubes of average size and within 15 minutes fried on vegetable oil. At the end of this process add the sliced tomato (most tasty the dish turns out with use of sweet grades of tomatoes) to vegetables, salt and, having covered, extinguish 15-20 minutes. When vegetables become soft, from squash add spices and fresh greens to vegetable stew: the dish will be more fragrant if to use just ground black pepper.
Garnish from squash
The garnish from squash which is ideal for all bird, meat or fish dishes can become a simple, useful and tasty alternative krupyany or to pasta. Especially tasty this dish turns out from young vegetables with the thin peel which isn't needing at a distance.
The half a kilo of fresh squash is washed in warm water, delete excess of moisture with a paper towel and cut thin wide plates. For this purpose it is very convenient to use peelers, but also by means of well ground knife it is possible to receive slices of vegetables, very convenient for further culinary processing.
In a wide frying pan warm a tablespoon of any vegetable oil and fry in it marrow plates to a condition of softness. It is very important not to salt vegetables at the very beginning of culinary processing, otherwise they will give a lot of juice and because of it can get out of a shape, having turned into puree.
The squash which became soft salt, strew with favourite spices (to taste), add the crushed garlic glove and maintain on small fire about 3-4 more minutes. A ready garnish from squash is plentifully strewed with fresh parsley, cilantro or fennel, and given as addition to a main course.
Squash with cottage cheese
As a stuffing for stuffed vegetable marrows it is traditionally accepted to use grain in combination with forcemeat from meat or a bird, however not less rich and useful dish can turn out if to fill squash with spicy cottage cheese.
Squash, small by the size, if necessary peel, cut on the long party on two parts that "court shoes" turned out and clean from them grains. The pack of low-fat cottage cheese is kneaded a fork to a uniform state, salted, add some fresh greens and 1 crude egg. The received cottage cheese mix is carefully mixed and used as forcemeat.
Each "boat" to top is filled with cottage cheese then connect both halves of a squash, stack vegetables in a baking dish and pour about 100 ml of water on its bottom. The form is placed in the oven warmed up to 180 degrees and bake squash with cottage cheese to a condition of softness.