Last Hurrah of Summer

In late October, the weather here in lovely Bend OR can be a real crapshoot. We could as easily have mild temperatures as snow. This year, we had some terrific Indian summer weather, perfect for gathering around the fire pit long after dusk. Just back from our trip to Truckee to see Mark and Kelley, we invited Rob and Dyce over Saturday night, the plan to enjoy this last hurrah of pretty weather before winter sets in for good. (As I type, my fingers cold in my chilly office, it is 18F outside, brrrr!)

To go with the awesome weather, Ann wanted me to make a summery dish for dinner, squash cakes, a  staple at the restaurant in season. So popular were they that I had customers begging for them in February when in our climate there in Virginia, we couldn't even set the baby squash plants out until May 15 or so, let alone have ripe fruit. I really couldn't take them off the menu from July to October when squash were in season without risking severe backlash from customers.

The squash cakes were born of a need to use massive amounts of zucchini. If you've ever grown squash, you know that when they start producing, they really come on gangbusters to the point where you may find yourself swimming in squash. It is a real trick in the restaurant business to get people to not only order something mundane that they don't really want to spend money on such as summer squash, but to get them to crave that dish to the point where you cannot take it off the menu. This is such a dish, a real coup in the kitchen, but it requires a lot of labor and time to pull off.

Before our dinner of squash cakes, we sat around the fire pit outside enjoying the last hurrah of summer. To go with our wine (Bordeaux blanc-style Semillon-Sauvignon blanc), I wanted finger food, but I had a salad (horiatiki) on the brain. So I put together these little skewers of cucumber, tomato, pickled peppers, feta, and olives. When I make horiatiki, I dress it traditionally in olive oil and lemon juice with oregano, but that dressing would be too loose and messy for finger food, so I whipped up a quick batch of tzatziki that we could daub on our skewers without too much risk of a mess.

Horiatiki Skewers with Tzatziki

After our appetizers when it was good and dark outside, we moved into the kitchen and I fried up the batch of squash cakes that I had made earlier in the day. The process is time consuming, but I find the results worth the effort.

I'm Using Grey Zucchini Here, Two Per Person
You Can Use Any Summer Squash

Grated on a Box Grater
I Wouldn't Dirty the Food Processor for Only 8 Squash

In Batches, Wring the Water Out in a Clean Towel
We Made a Light Cucumber-Tasting Sorbet from the Drained Liquid

Cook the Dry Squash in Cream

Cook All the Liquid Out
Season and Bind with Grated Pecorino and Panko

Refrigerate to Set, Then Patty out Squash Cakes

Lightly Flour or Bread the Squash Cakes, Then Fry

To go with the squash cakes, I always serve tzatziki; they are a natural combo. This time, I was feeling a light pasta salad as a side dish, so I cooked a batch of orzo and tossed it with lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano. Then I stirred in feta, wilted spinach, and just a few bits of tomato for color.

Orzo with Spinach, Feta, and Tomatoes

These squash cakes are pretty delicious but they take a long time to prepare. They're also a bit tricky to cook, too, because they want to get really creamy in the center. You have to form a good crust on them in the pan; it's the crust that holds the very soft cakes together. It's also that crust that makes a delicious crunchy contrast to the creamy center that makes this dish so delightful.