Fruits of Early Fall

Well, I fooled you with that other post about my sadness over summer's finale, because we all know September is the goldmine of months for delicious earth foods. Tomatoes! Especially the cheap ones. The markets on the north fork can't seem to get rid of them fast enough. And the giant, let's face it, somewhat tasteless summer squashes ripping down the vines and being used more as a cheap grab at a laugh by tourists (you know who you are, guys) than in the kitchen. But we're all coming back to reality. The days are somewhat shorter, the sleeves are somewhat longer. Suntan's faded (womp womp).

And really, who doesn't love cheap groceries?

This recipe is super changeable and adaptable to various proteins and toppings. For this version, I used homemade crumbled seitan sausage and some gluten free breadcrumbs. I've made it a million times, you probably have to, especially if you have one of the previously mentioned overflowing nightshade gardens. The star of this recipe is really the fresh, bright homemade tomato sauce. If you don't feel like whipping that up (although it's a great thing to make all at once and keep on hand) by all means, use a jar… but one with less than 5 ingredients, please?

Stuffed Gigantic Summer Squash

Fresh Tomato Sauce (see recipe below)
2 obnoxious summer squash, I used zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of your choice protein (soy protein, tempeh, mushrooms, lentils, ground meat)
fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano)
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup crunchy topping of your choice (breadcrumbs, grated cheese, nuts)
salt + fresh pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375. Slice each of those behemoths in half length wise and hollow them out a good deal. Place them in your baking vessel atop a lovely bed of that tomato sauce you made (or opened). Drizzle with 1tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt + pep. Now, depending on your gargantuan these things are, you may want to preface them a tidbit. I did for about 10 minutes, because they were, like i said, obnoxious.
2. Saute onions and garlic in remaining oil on medium heat for about 10 minutes, add in protein (if using meat, use two pans or saute meat first, then remove and add vegetables to pan) to crisp it up for about 10 additional minutes. Deglaze pan with wine and add in herbs. Remove from heat.
3. Load up your veggie vessels with the filling, top with a little more tomato sauce and crunchy topping. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending how large your squash are. Poke them with a fork, if they give they're good to go.

Fresh Tomato Sauce 

8-10 large ripe tomatoes (heirloom, beefsteak, if roma double that number!)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
salt to taste (a lot, guys)
tear of fresh basil at finish

1. Get a big pot of water boiling. Score your tomatoes on the bottom in an X pattern. When the waters a-rollin', drop those suckers in (carefully!) and take em' right back out. Let them cool. Peel. Chop.
2. Heat oil in heavy bottomed pot. Add in onions and garlic and turn the heat down to medium low, until vegetables are caramelized and sweet smelling.
 3. Add in tomatoes, bring up heat until sauce begins to bubble. Salt to taste, turn back to simmer and let it cook for about 1-2 hours on lowest setting. This can go on longer or shorter, depending on how rich you like the taste, or how fresh or just how hungry and impatient you are. Geez, don't rush it.
4. Add in basil when heat is off.

*as you can see, breadcrumbs don't ideally brown as much as cheese so be sure to add some additional olive oil for that crunchy brown top you so crave. My bad.