Toad in a Pattypan Hole ♥

Toad in a Pattypan Hole by A Veggie Venture
Vegetables for breakfast? You bet! Just cut a pattypan squash into slices, remove the centers to create a ring and add eggs cupped by leaves of fresh basil. Very pretty, very tasty!

This time of year, UFOs show up at the farmers market. Oh wait, they're not UFOs, they are satellites! Oh wait, they're not satellites, they are pattypan squash! Not sure what I mean with the UFO and satellite references? Here's a photo of pattypan squash.

These little guys (and some times, not-so-little guys) may look daunting but really, pattypan squash belong to the family of summer squash that includes the more familiar zucchini and yellow squash. Pattypan squash are just so cute, I want to grab them all up and let them sit pretty in a basket on the counter, reminding me that, glory be, it's summer.

But glory be, pattypan squash are too good, cooked, to let sit around just looking pretty. This is a great way to cook pattypan squash for breakfast, especially for large pattypans which aren't quite as tender as baby pattypan squash. The recipe is a riff on the famous bread and egg dish with a hundred names, what my family calls Gashouse Eggs but many call Toad in a Hole, thus, here, Toad in a Pattypan Hole.

Vegetables for breakfast? You bet!

SPELLING LESSON Do we spell pattypan squash as one word, pattypan? or two words, patty pan? One word!

TOAD in a PATTYPAN HOLE

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 1, easily multiplied

A little oil
Slice of pattypan squash, about 3/4 inch thick, a hole cut in the center
Salt & pepper to taste

1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 tablespoon flour
Salt & pepper to taste

1 - 2 large fresh basil leaves
1 egg
Salt & pepper to taste
A sprinkle of cheese

Preheat the oven to 300F. Heat an oven-safe skillet on MEDIUM HIGH, add the oil when hot and let warm until shimmery. Drop the pattypan squash into the skillet (it should sizzle a bit) and season. Let cook, without turning, until the bottom half cooks and the edges begin to brown. Turn over and repeat. Cook just until al dente, it will keep cooking once the egg is added.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg, milk and flour in a small bowl, season to taste. When the pattypan slice is cooked, pour a little of the egg-milk-flour mixture into the center, just enough to form a thin base, and let cook a minute. Place the basil leaves in the center, cupping to hold the egg. Drop the egg onto the basil leaves, season to taste and then sprinkle with the cheese. Move the skillet to the oven and let cook until the egg is cooked as little/much as desired.

That's it! Serve and savor!


ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
There's enough egg-milk-flour mixture for four or five servings.
Don't overdo the cheese, just a tiny sprinkle, maybe a teaspoon per egg. You really want the delicate taste of the pattypan squash to come through, contrasting with the already-creamy egg yolk.

A Veggie Venture - Printer Friendly Recipe Graphic

This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a growing collection of easy summer recipes published all summer long at Kitchen Parade, my food column. With a free Kitchen Parade e-mail subscription, you'll never miss a one!




MORE FAVORITE PATTYPAN SQUASH RECIPES
~ Stuffed Pattypan Squash ~
~ Simple Baby Pattypan Squash with Squash Blossoms ~
~ Quick Pattypan Squash ~
~ more summer squash recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture


© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2010
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Oh, my gosh...I think pattypan squash are so cute but I never know what to do with them! This recipe sounds delicious...and fun...so I will be amking it soon!

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  2. What is the flour for?

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  3. Barbara ~ Yay, it's an inspiration!

    Kathy ~ The egg-flour mixture forms a 'floor' below the basil leaf, so that it doesn't directly touch the skillet and burn up.

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  4. Pattypan squash looks cute.. Have never seen them in the market.

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  5. Okay - the directions say egg-milk not egg-flour.

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  6. RV ~ Look, I bet you see them all the time from now on!

    Kathy ~ Yikes, good catch, there's a touch of milk in there too. I've adjusted the ingredient list and instructions, thanks for being such a careful reader!

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  7. My dad had a more "elegant" name for this dish: Spit in the Ocean! (He picked it up in the military, of course.) Great riff on a classic, and patty pan is one of my favorite squashes with a lovely, mild flavor.

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  8. So you whisk the egg, milk and flour together for the "base"?
    Thanks.

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  9. Lydia ~ Great name!

    Sharon P ~ Yes and I've tweaked the instructions once again, this time I think I've got it!

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  10. I'm so glad I found you! I'm a very new part-time vegetarian (cop out, I know, it's just hard). Your recipes look great! :)

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  11. omg! You are a genious!!! I LOVE squash and eggs, and LOVE pattypans, but never thought of this! I am SO making this :)

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  12. Brilliant!
    Yes, just Brilliant!

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  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna