Pattypan – the spaceship squash that’s tasty for all

Jul 17, 2010 New Baby Food Recipes, vegetables

Summer – oh the plethora of amazing fruits and veggies that summer brings us.   Here in New England summer’s bounty means that we finally get local foods from the farm.    Sometimes I wish we lived out on the West Coast just so we could have fresh fruits and veggies all year long!  My latest find at the new Farmer’s Market in town was pattypan squash.  The boy were immediately enamored of these little veggies because they were reminded of spaceships.  Hey, if it get’s them interested in it, so be it.  I have to admit that they do look a bit like spaceships.  Some people call pattypan the sunburst squash.

Pattypan are delicate due to their thin skin so when you are washing and handling them, do be careful not to scratch or bruise them.   Pattypan is just like a crooked neck/yellow squash or zucchini.

So above you will see 2 pattypans and 1 zucchini from my garden.  I made baked pattypan and zucchini the other night (sorry for being so late to post!) and i just love how the camera can actually capture the boiling water.  I did have some images of the end result but alas they were not too pretty.  The way I made this dish does not lend the final version to a stint in a food photo magazine!  Don’t be alarmed if your baked pattypan and zucchini looks a bit, well ugly

Baked Pattypan & Zucchini  7-8months+

Ingredients
2 pattypan squash (gently washed, whole)
1 large zucchini – cut in half
1 small onion – diced
2 cloves fresh garlic (you may use 2 tablespoons of minced)
Pinch of basil and oregano
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly coat baking dish with olive oil.  Boil pattypan and zucchini in a pot (in a scant amount of water) for approx 10 minutes until a bit tender.  Do not over cook!   While the squash is cooking, sautee the onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil.
Remove pattypan and zucchini from pot and allow to cool enough so that you may dice it all. 
Dice pattypan and zucchini in sizes that you desire then add to the prepared baking dish
Add sauteed onions and garlic to the baking pan and stir all contents to blend
Blend cheese into bread crumbs and lightly sprinkle over the veggies
Bake for approx 15-20 minutes until fork tender.  Serve warm

You can also add diced tomatoes and/or slice some mozzarella and add on top of dish before baking

As always, puree or mash as needed for your little one.  Enjoy!