had a spiny lobster grilled cheese sandwich today at Keys Fisheries in Marathon. This is early season for the ‘bugs’ and they are plentiful and soooo tasty! not at all like that sweet lobster from Maine, spinies taste so much more seafood, organic and - I dunno - wild.
pressed on a Cuban roll with swiss cheese and avocado, it is truly a cheesy, fantastic, crunchy, salty-sea “Florribean” treat!
@ClutchLinkey, I need that salad in my life!
I love that sandwich. One of the best things I ate in the Keys.
Finally after 5 days curing, rest, smoke, rest, the east coast smoked pastrami of my west coast dreams:
Made ratatouille from Mastering the Art of French Cooking-a classic, classically prepared. Served it over rice, since it was dinner, not a side dish. Very nice to use up the weeks’ tomato haul from the market. Also churned a batch of hazelnut marscapone ice cream (from serious eats) and made giandua from the extra hazelnuts. Even ended up without a sinkful of dirty dishes!
I’m going to touch on a controversial topic, one that polarizes people; pits siblings against each other; fractures friendships. Yes, I want to talk about zucchini vs yellow squash.
Full disclosure: I’m firmly on the zucchini side. That said, I want to present some objective data on the topic. A colleague brought in a couple of boxes of zucchini and yellow squash from his garden to share on a first come basis. After an hour, only yellow squash was left.
I’m fond of both and usually cook them together. That said, I’ve never used yellow squash in place of zukes when baking.
I think this is really a matter of just a few degrees, but zucchini are tougher and hold together more than yellow squash. Therefore, you can do more with them. They can serve as noodles, can be shredded and give body to something like couscous or quinoa, and they have that bit of greenness on the outside that lends color. Yellow squash can do those things but more gently and don’t take as much heat. Also they just blend in with no dash of color. As far as flavor, I don’t think either one is superior they’re both kind of blah.
My favorite way of preparing zucchini is to cut them into planks and grill them with EVOO, salt and pepper. That’s it. Let the flavor of the zuke come through.
Try that with yellow squash and all you get is goo.
I am entirely opposed to Cucurbita pepo. It is mostly composed of inedible gourds and ornamentals. The edible varieties are the sad squashes like zucchini. Light on flavor heavy on water.
I know it’s not “healthy” but fuckit: I love deep fried zucchini. I don’t do anything to them except cut them up into discs and put them into the hot oil and then fry them for who the hell knows how long (an hour?) until they are medium golden brown. Then I take them out, let them drain on a piece of brown paper bag (from TJ’s). And then sprinkle a shit-ton of parmesan on top. To me, that is a serious treat. And you’re right - I don’t think that’s a good idea to do with a summer squash.
We grew these guys this year - desi squash. Superior flavor, firm texture, can be steamed, fried, grilled or munched on raw. I love all kinds of squash and found this one absolutely delightful!
note: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has been closed due to pandemic and I am not aware of their current status. I believe you can also find seeds for desi squash at Park Seeds.
Good info! I’ll check that out!
I don’t get to take credit for this, but I do get to post it. My mother in law (“Nana”) made Sfogliatelle for me for my birthday. Yummmmmm.
Great find! Though baking is not my strong point, I may try this. Thank you.
