My daughter, her fiancé and my two grandchildren recently came for a long weekend. In the fine Italian tradition, they came bearing gifts. Some of the gifts came from their garden! The yellow squash, cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes were huge — absolutely delicious!
A good thing about getting something fresh from a garden is that you are able to enjoy the wonderful fruits of nature for days or weeks. One tomato still had green showing, but gradually, after 10 days, it was bright, red and juicy but firm. The zucchini was the first to go, as Veronica sautéed it with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. It was abundant enough to bring as our contribution to a multi-family gathering. As I have said many times: My wife is an excellent cook, so everybody loved it and consumed the dish by the end of the meal, with many compliments afterward.
The yellow squash was another story. Mostly we eat zucchini, so she was unsure of how to cook the yellow squash, but not for long. Since she is a quarter Polish, one of the foods that she loves is pierogis, and she had some in the freezer. Using her Italian roots, she combined the yellow squash with our standard of extra virgin olive oil, garlic and onions. Then she boiled the pierogis and yellow squash in in a pot half filled with water until cooked, after which she blended them with the sautéed onions. It was amazing! I’ve been trying to lose some weight so I’ve been limiting carbs by staying away from macaroni, potatoes and bread. But I took one taste of her new combination and I although I had only planned to have a taste, I ended up eating a whole dish because they were outstandingly delicious! So here is our recipe for today, a new combination of Veronica’s making. It’s inexpensive and simple to boot. You’re going to love it!
Salute and buon appetito!
Bob Leonardi and his wife, Veronica
Veronica’s pierogis with onions and yellow squash
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound pierogis
- 4 yellow squash
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large sweet onions
- 1 stick butter
Measure, wash and prep all ingredients; peel garlic and put through a garlic press. Fill a medium pot halfway with salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Peel yellow squash and onions. Cut both into half-inch strips. Put olive oil and butter in a sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the onions. Put the squash in the boiling salted water for approximately two to three minutes. Add pierogis and boil until they float to the top. Next, drain pierogis and squash and add both to the sauté pan with onions, then stir in the pressed garlic. Continue to blend items on simmer until all flavors combine well together — approximately three to five minutes, tasting as it cooks. When you drain the pierogis, reserve a little of the salted water from the bottom of the pot and set aside. If the items in the sauté pan do not have enough liquid, add a little of the reserve cooking water from the pot until the taste is well-balanced. Add pepper, garlic salt and more sea salt if needed.
Bob Leonardi was born and raised in Weedsport, but spent summers on Owasco Lake in Auburn. After graduating from St. Lawrence University, where he cooked for other students to earn extra money, he moved to Florida and started a fine wine and gourmet food store. In a matter of a few years he added a restaurant, upscale catering and event planning to his business, which he ran in Fort Lauderdale for 15 years. He bought and restored Green Shutters restaurant in 1999, running it for 12 years in the spring, summer and fall while being an event planner in the winter. During that time, he was also a food critic and wrote a column for a newspaper called the South Florida Social. He has written his column for The Citizen since 2005 and can be reached by contacting The Citizen or via email at raleonardi@roadrunner.com.
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August 06, 2021
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Leonardi: Garden bounty leads to tasty new recipe - Auburn Citizen
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