What To Do With a Million and One Zucchinis: Garlic Spread

Something that I learned this summer, is that it takes very few squash plants to make a whole LOT of squash. When they grow, boy do they grow!

This picture is a small amount of the squash we have gotten this summer. We have yellow zucchini, patty pan, and picco squash. It doesn't take too many nights of sauteed squash before getting tired of it. So in order to actually use all of this and not let it go to waste, I have been asking around for some good recipes.  

Since I have been swimming in squash (like could literally fill a bathtub, possibly to the point of overflowing) I was looking for one that used up a lot of squash but wouldn't give me enough food for three meals a day for a week. This was actually quite a bit easier than I thought. 

The winner?

Garlic Squash Spread.

Part of the reason I like the recipe so much is because it's so simple! The other part is because it is SO delicious!!

So far I have eaten it on chips, in lasagna and on burgers! It is amazing no matter how you eat it. Plus it's totally vegan and gluten free! So a perfect dish for pot lucks or dinners where people may have different diet preferences :)



Ingredients:

• 3 lbs summer squash roughly chopped (I left the skin on to give it more to chew on but if you want it creamier think about peeling the squash)
• 2 tbs butter (I guess I just used vegan butter to make it vegan, but it does not have to be vegan)
• 2 tbs olive oil (or more, you know, whatever. I wasn't exactly low-fat on this one)
• 7 cloves of garlic (I used 10, which I loved but my dad suggested I use tad less, he's crazy but I'll let you make your own choices)
• Thyme, ten good shakes of the spice bottle or four sprigs
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Melt butter in a medium to large pot (one that will fit all the squash) over med-low heat.
• Crush garlic and add to the butter stirring it together well.
•  Add the squash a little bit at a time stirring as you go to coat in the garlic butter. Don't worry about coating thoroughly, it's no big deal. Also it is okay if the pot isn't big enough to let you really stir the squash, it will cook down a lot so you will have plenty of room soon.
• Pour the olive oil over the squash.
• Add salt now to help bring the liquid out of the squash and let it cook down a bit.
• Bring heat to med once you can stir the squash more easily making sure that it isn't burning on the bottom. This will bring the water out a bit faster. If it does begin to stick or burn, bring the heat back down and add a splash of water or white wine. Maybe just add the white wine any way. Definitely add some wine.
• Once it's really watery add the thyme and pepper. Bring heat back down to a simmer.
• Then bring your computer over to the couch and sit down for a while and read some of my other blogs, checking the squash occasionally to stir.
• You're waiting for the water to boil off enough to where you have the perfect spread consistency. I doubled the recipe and it seemed to take FOREVER! but I just sat back with my computer, and some knitting and relaxed as the house filled up with the amazing smell of garlic. 
• Once you think it's go the right spreadability, just take it off the heat, let it cool down and proceed to gobble it all up at once!!!

Crazy good. My family scared me and told me they had eaten it all while I was talking on the phone in the other room. Thank goodness they were kidding! But now I have a kitchen all my own so I wont have to visit every time I want to cook.

Anyone else have amazing squash recipes? Or any recipes? I'm not that picky when it comes to food and cooking.