Today was the first day of a little four day staycation, or maybe more correctly, a home-and-gardencation. I have an ambitious list of projects to accomplish around the house this week, and first on the agenda this morning was reclaiming my refrigerator from the summer squash and zucchini. I shredded, bagged, and froze 36 generous cups of zucchini, most of which will be used for zucchini bread, leaving me with just a handful of patty pan squash for quick meals this week and a couple of small yellow summer squash to play with.
Of all the summer squash recipes I had bookmarked, this is the one that intrigued me the most. I've made kale chips before (delicious) and I've heard others rave about beet chips (on the to-do list), so why not squash chips? Summer squash is naturally mildly sweet, and pairs perfectly with a variety of seasoning options. When you slice it thin and bake it until it's crispy, it only gets better! And with summer squash in abundance right now, this is an easy way to knock out a little or a lot of squash in one fell swoop.
A couple of helpful tips:
Slice the squash as uniformly as possible. Thicker slices will take a little longer to dry out, but paper-thin slices will burn easily.
A little grated parmesean cheese makes a great addition, but it will burn if it's in the oven the entire time. If you're adding a little cheese, do it right before the chips are done.
When the chips are close to being done, turn the oven off and let the baking sheet sit in the warm oven to finish up. They'll continue to dry out with a decreased chance of burning.
Summer Squash Chips
Thinly slice summer squash. Spread the squash slices out and sprinkle both sides with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes to pull out some of the moisture. After the time has passed, rinse the squash slices, and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
While the squash is sitting, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack on top. Lightly spray the rack with cooking spray, and spread out the squash slices on the rack. Lightly spray the top of the squash slices, and season according to taste (I used oregano and thyme, and a little grated parmesean cheese added right at the end of baking).
Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes, checking on them frequently after 20 minutes and removing chips as they are crisp to your liking.
Recipe adapted from Goat Lady Community Supported Agriculture
Labels: recipes, summer squash
