There’s a perception that vegetarians are required to worship all vegetables equally. Unfortunately, embracing a meat-free diet does not mean that there are not certain members of the plant kingdom that you’d rather skip. For me, it’s raw bell peppers. For Jason, it’s summer squash, so this is a particularly tough time of year for him to stare down our farm share. As we were cooking on Saturday night, he gave me a sidelong glance over the cutting board and said, “Maybe we only need one squash for these sandwiches.”
“Two,” I said. “Trust me, squash hater. I’m going to do right by you.”
Doing right is much easier armed with some caramelized onions and a few medallions of delicious Quebecois goat cheese brought back from a weekend in Montreal. (Fear not, readers; a poutine post is coming.) Top them with some mint to balance out the richness, and you’re treading in the footsteps of angels.
A half hour later, Jason uttered the words, “This is fantastic,” and he wasn’t talking about the DVD copy of Airplane! we were watching. Surely, there’s hope for even the most difficult-to-love veggies.
Open-Faced Squash and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
- Two onions, sliced
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Two small (or one large) summer squash, cut into halved medallions
- 4 slices of multigrain bread
- Goat cheese
- A handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Put the onions in a large skillet with the olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook over the low heat until caramelized. We’ve been through this before; don’t rush this part. When the onions are brown and sweet, add the summer squash and continue to cook until they’re just tender.
While the squash cooks, toast the bread and spread generously with goat cheese. Grind a little fresh pepper on top of the cheese. When the squash and onion mixture is done, heap it on top of the toasts and finish with the chopped mint. (And don’t call me Shirley.)