Brown Butter Summer Squash "Linguine"

This recipe comes from my newest cookbook obsession, Fast, Fresh, and Green by Susie Middleton. Every week I comes home from the farmer's market with more produce than I intended, constantly being seduced by the incredible bounty of fruits and vegetables available to me at the Dane County Farmer's Market. I have a few favorite recipe websites, but I much prefer pouring through actual physical cookbooks for recipes. The older I get the more vegetables I enjoy and the more willing I am to experiment with ways to prepare them. But as much as I love to cook, I do work at least forty hours a week and don't want to spend my entire evening in the kitchen after work (at least not all the time). This cookbook is fully of quick, delicious recipes spanning the full bounty of farmer's market produce.

This wonderful side comes together in just a few minutes and is a light and fresh side. I served it alongside catfish burgers, and I think it would go best with chicken or fish. The only change I would make next time is to add more fresh parsley, which I always have plenty of since I grow my own in my apartment. Parsley adds a nice fresh quality to any dish and perfectly complements the acidity of the lemon juice and crisp freshness of the squash.

Brown Butter Summer Squash "Linguine"
from Fast, Fresh, and Green by Susie Middleton
serves 3 to 4

1.5 lb. young yellow (summer) squash
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts
1 t. kosher salt
2 t. chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
1/2 lemon

1. Wash and fry the squash and trim off the ends. Using a julienne peeler, peel the squash lengthwise all the way around, dropping the strips into a bowl. Continue peeling until you reach the seed core. Discard the core and peel the other squash in the same fashion. Toss the squash strips and separate any that are clumping together.

2. In a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and swirl the butter around in the pan. Cook the butter until it reaches a nutty brown color (the almonds should be light brown by then), about 2 minutes. The color turns quickly so keep and eye on it-it will be more flavorful if you take it beyond a very light brown, but you don't want it to turn black. Immediately add the squash and salt. Toss the squash gently with tongs until it is well coated with the butter. Continue cooking just until the squash becomes slightly limp, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat, stir in half of the chopped herbs, and squeeze a little of the lemon over the squash and toss. Taste and add more lemon, if desired. Transfer the squash to a serving dish or plates and garnish with the remaining herbs.