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Black-Eyed Peas with Greens
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Southern Butter-Sautéed Summer Squash
Created by
Tender summer squash cooked fast and hot in brown butter with sweet onions, finished with torn basil and a whisper of black pepper. The kind of honest side dish that makes you wonder why anyone bothers with complicated.
Side Dishes
Southern
Weeknight
10 min
Prep Time
12 min cook•22 min total
Yield4 servings
Summer squash season in the South is a glorious problem. Gardens overflow. Neighbors leave bags on your porch like friendly warnings. The question isn't whether you'll eat squash, but how you'll prepare it without losing your mind to monotony.
This is the answer I've returned to for forty years. Hot skillet. Good butter taken to the edge of brown. Squash cut thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to cook through in minutes. Sweet onions that melt into the butter and become something greater than themselves. It's a dish that requires attention but not anxiety.
The technique matters more than the recipe. You want your pan screaming hot before the squash hits the surface. You want color, not steam. Soggy squash is the mark of a timid cook who crowded the pan or lost nerve with the heat. Golden edges and tender centers come from confidence and a willingness to leave things alone.
I learned this preparation from a woman in Charleston who grew up cooking for her grandmother's boarding house. She used bacon drippings. I prefer butter taken to brown because I love the nutty depth it brings. Both approaches honor the ingredient. Both treat a humble vegetable with the respect it deserves.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
yellow crookneck squash
Quantity
1 pound
sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
pattypan squash
Quantity
1 pound
quartered if small, sliced if larger
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons
Vidalia onion
Quantity
1 large
halved and sliced into thin half-moons
garlic
Quantity
3 cloves
sliced thin
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
fresh basil leaves
Quantity
1/4 cup loosely packed
torn
fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
white wine or chicken stock (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| yellow crookneck squashsliced into 1/4-inch rounds | 1 pound |
| pattypan squashquartered if small, sliced if larger | 1 pound |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons |
| Vidalia onionhalved and sliced into thin half-moons | 1 large |
| garlicsliced thin | 3 cloves |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| fresh basil leavestorn | 1/4 cup loosely packed |
| fresh thyme leaves (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
| white wine or chicken stock (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •12-inch skillet (cast iron preferred, stainless acceptable)
- •Fish spatula or thin metal spatula for flipping
- •Clean kitchen towels for drying squash
Instructions
- 1
Prep the squash
Slice crookneck squash into rounds about a quarter-inch thick. Cut pattypan squash into quarters if they're golf-ball sized, or into half-inch slices if larger. You want pieces of roughly equal thickness so they cook evenly. Spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Moisture is your enemy here. Wet squash steams instead of searing, and steamed squash is sad squash.
Young, firm squash with tight skin and small seeds will hold their shape best. Overgrown squash turn watery and collapse. - 2
Brown the butter
Set your largest skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and let it melt completely. Watch it closely now. It will foam, then subside, then begin to turn golden at the edges. Swirl the pan gently. You'll smell toasted hazelnuts. The milk solids on the bottom will turn the color of light caramel. This takes about three minutes. The moment it smells nutty and looks amber, you're ready. Don't walk away. Brown butter and burnt butter are separated by thirty seconds of inattention.
A stainless steel or light-colored pan makes it easier to monitor the butter's color. Dark nonstick hides the transformation. - 3
Sauté the onions
Add the sliced Vidalia onion to the brown butter. Spread them into a single layer and let them cook undisturbed for about two minutes. You want them to pick up golden color on the edges while softening toward translucence in the thinner parts. Stir once, then add the sliced garlic. Cook for another thirty seconds, just until fragrant. The garlic should barely color. Burnt garlic tastes like regret.
- 4
Sear the squash
Push the onions to the edges of the pan and increase heat to high. Add the squash in a single layer. Here is where most cooks fail: they stir too soon and too often. Resist. Let the squash sit undisturbed for two full minutes. You'll hear aggressive sizzling. Good. That's the Maillard reaction building a golden crust. After two minutes, flip the pieces. Some will have beautiful bronze spots. That's what you want. Cook another two minutes on the second side.
If your skillet isn't large enough to hold all the squash in a single layer, cook in two batches. Crowding guarantees steaming. - 5
Season and finish
Reduce heat to medium. Toss the onions back through the squash. Season with the salt and black pepper. If the pan seems dry, add the splash of white wine or stock, which will sizzle and create a light glaze. Toss everything together for thirty seconds more. The squash should be tender when pierced with a knife but not soft or falling apart. It should hold its shape with dignity.
- 6
Add herbs and serve
Remove the pan from heat. Scatter the torn basil and thyme over the top and toss gently. The residual heat will release their fragrance without wilting them to mush. Taste for salt. Summer squash drinks up seasoning, so don't be shy. Transfer to a warm serving dish immediately. This is not a dish that improves with waiting.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out squash at farmers' markets in high summer. The difference between a supermarket specimen picked a week ago and one harvested that morning is the difference between tolerable and transcendent. Look for firm skin, bright color, and no soft spots.
- •If Vidalia onions aren't available, any sweet onion will work. Walla Walla from Washington, Maui from Hawaii, or Texas 1015s are all excellent. Avoid sharp storage onions here. They don't melt the same way.
- •Save any leftover brown butter from the pan by scraping it over the squash. That's where the flavor lives. Waste nothing.
- •This preparation works beautifully with zucchini, but I find yellow squash more flavorful and less watery. The two-squash combination gives visual interest without added effort.
- •A cast iron skillet retains heat better than stainless, meaning steadier searing and better color. If you have one large enough, use it.
Advance Preparation
- •Squash can be sliced up to 4 hours ahead and stored between layers of paper towels in the refrigerator. Pat dry again before cooking.
- •Onions and garlic can be prepped the morning of and held covered at room temperature.
- •This dish is best served immediately but will hold in a warm oven (200°F) for up to 15 minutes. Beyond that, the squash softens past its prime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 410g)
Calories
265 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
12 g
Trans Fat
0.5 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
31 mg
Sodium
645 mg
Total Carbohydrates
18 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
9 g
Protein
7 g
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