Crispy Slabs of Summer Squash Dressed with Diced Tomatoes and Basil

Elephant Ears is a very popular dish here, which is breaded and fried pork chops with a tomato arugula salad on top. You could, if you wish, toss the tomatoes with pesto thinned with a little oil and some balsamic. A Ben-Riner or mandolin is best used for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1½ pounds (3-4 medium-large) summer squash, cleaned, ends removed, cut into 3/16^th inch lengthwise slabs*

½ cup All-Purpose flour, or as needed

1 jumbo egg, or as many as needed,** beaten

1-2 cups panko or home-made bread crumbs

2-3 tomatoes (different types are great) or 2-2½ cups, seeded and cut into ¼ inch dice

1 small clove garlic, peeled

10-15 tender basil leaves, sliced into fine shreds

1 tablespoon high quality balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons light flavored extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil as needed

Grapeseed oil as needed

Optional-

¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts

Romano cheese, sliced into longish shards with a vegetable peeler

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 200°F.

Rub a non-reactive bowl with the clove of garlic until you can see streaks of garlic oil left in the bowl. Allow to rest 1 minute, then add a pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl. Add the vinegar and whisk a few seconds, then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking. Set aside.

Heat your largest sauté pan over medium-low heat.

Place the flour, egg, and panko each into a pie pan or other shallow and wide vessel. Arrange them in this order with a sheet-pan after the panko.

Season the squash slabs with some salt and pepper, and then one at a time, dip the slabs into flour, shaking off excess, then egg, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge the slabs gently in the bread crumbs. Set on the sheet pan.

When half-way through the breading, turn the heat under the big sauté pan up to medium-high. When three-quarters of the way through with breading the squash, add 2:1 ratio of grapeseed oil to olive oil to the pan covering the bottom of the pan well. When the oil is quite hot-it should seem to be shivering, or just as the first tendril of seam/smoke rises, use a slotted spatula to add the breaded slabs of squash 1 at a time. Do not crowd them or they will not crisp up properly. After 30-45 seconds, check the underside of the slabs. As soon as they are crisp on the bottom, turn and fry to crisp the other side. When done, transfer to a sheet pan lined with paper towels or a fitted with a rack Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Finish cooking the rest of the slabs, adding oil to the pan as needed. Once the squash is done, add the tomatoes to the dressing, scatter with the basil and toss to mix evenly and coat everything with dressing.

Arrange the slabs on a platter and garnish with the tomato basil salad. If using, scatter pine nuts over all and then shave some Romano over the lot if you wish, or pass it separately.

Chef’s Notes: * Any summer squash will work, but the lower moisture types such as Cousa, Costata Romanesca, and Tromboncini are great for this. They maintain a crisp texture and have a nutty flavor. ** Panko are a Japanese bread crumb known for fine texture and are pretty much ubiquitous.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen