Monster Squash And Tomato Pie!

feastyoureyes|Oct. 10, 2012 12:06 pm EST

There is a whole new crop of squashes hitting the market this year. Head on down to your local farmer's market and check out all the new varieties! Easy to cook in the microwave or roast in the oven. Peel after! Happy autumn eating!!! Enjoy the fruits of the harvest this month!

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So....on the second last weekend of the Baysville's farmer's market (in Muskoka – near my cottage) we scored some seriously delicious beefsteak tomatoes ripened on the vine from someone's garden (really! – not those so-called "vine ripened" type you get at the supermarket.) Plus one really, really ugly (and I mean ugly) gigantic green squash which looked like an oversized brain! I have never seen one like it before, but I did actually see another one at the same farmer's booth again the following week.

The tomatoes were easy; we made all the usual things like bruschetta with fresh basil, and sliced tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, plus an amazing tomato pie! It was delicious and looked so pretty with a pastry pie crust and alternating layers of sliced tomatoes with goat cheese, fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese. A little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper for seasoning plus an egg and a bit of flour to hold it all together! Recipe follows:

Standard one crust pie pastry (prepare according to directions)
4 – 6 large ripe tomatoes (depending on size – mine were big ones so I used 4)
6 oz. goat cheese
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons flour (divided)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 egg whisked into ¼ cup of milk

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Layer the tomatoes in pie shell to cover bottom. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over tomatoes. Dot with 1/3 or the goat cheese. Arrange fresh basil leaves on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Repeat for three more layers. Pour egg and milk mixture over the top of the pie.

Bake in a preheated oven 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and cook for a further 30 – 45 minutes until pastry is cooked and pie is nicely browned. Cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve. Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy!

NOW: When it came to that squash...it sat on the counter for a week. I was totally scared of it! I have never seen such a scary vegetable in my life! They should put it out for Halloween! Anyway, I knew I had to cook it, but I kept putting it off. With all those crusty knobs and bumps, how in the world would I be able to manage it! Well, finally I had to force myself outside of my comfort zone to attempt to cook it. We were having weekend guests at the cottage so we did a cedar smoked side of salmon on the barbecue and I took a deep breath and plunked the squash whole into the oven. I roasted it at 375 for about an hour and stuck a fork in it. It was tender inside! We ended up slicing it in half horizontally, scooped out the seeds and drizzled melted butter and pure maple syrup over it. We sliced it into pie shaped wedges and served it as a side for the salmon. It was absolutely delicious and had a very starchy, potato like texture with a yellow/orange coloured flesh. Seasoned with a little salt and fresh ground pepper, it was devoured and we all agreed it was totally awesome!

The next day with the other half of the squash, we scooped out the flesh from the shell, pureed it with some orange juice and curry powder and turned it into a wonderful squash soup! With a dollop of buttermilk and fresh chives for garnish it was delicious! Not a scrap of that ugly monster was wasted!

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