Last week at the farmers market I bought some squash.  Prior to the last few years, the word "squash" (for me) only brought to mind one thing: those standard yellow squashes that the grocery store always has.  When I was a kid, if we bought squash at the grocery store, if Mama served squash with dinner, it was those.  More recently, as I learned more about food and as the foodscape in the USA -- or at least where I live and shop -- changed to include more types and wider varieties of everything, I became aware that there are so many different kinds of squash, with different names! (Not talking about things like pumpkins and zucchinis, because while I knew they were related to the yellow squash I was used to, they were obviously not actually called "squash".)  So when I sat down to start telling you about these squash I bought last week and the recipe I used them in, I thought to myself, I should make sure I'm clear about what kind of squash, since squash doesn't simply mean squash anymore, especially in the context of modern farmers markets.  So I googled "types of squash", and came across this website first -- which didn't really help because I didn't see exactly the kind I meant in the pictures, but which lists many cooking tips for different kinds of squash so I want to keep it handy! -- and then this website, which leads me to believe the squash I have is called summer squash, yellow squash, crookneck squash, or maybe all 3?  The kind I'm talking about is smooth-skinned, not bumpy like in those photos, and sometimes has a slightly bent neck (not as much as in those photos) or sometimes has a straight one.  Anyway, it's that typical yellow one which I referred to at the beginning of all this, if that helps anyone.  Perhaps I should have taken a photo before I gobbled them up! :)

I have also concluded that "squash" is another one of those words that starts to look funny after you've looked at it a lot.

Anyhow, I hunted for a recipe, hoping for a new and interesting way of cooking squash other than my old standard of slicing it into a pan on the stove with some oil.  I found this one!

Parmesan-Squash Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded seeded summer squash, (2-3 medium, about 1 pound; see Tip)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Beat egg in a large bowl. Stir in shallots, parsley, salt and pepper. Place shredded squash in the center of a clean kitchen towel; gather up the ends and twist to squeeze out any liquid. Add the squash and cheese to the bowl; stir to combine.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pack a 1/3-cup measuring cup with the squash mixture and unmold it into the pan; gently pat it down to form a 3-inch cake. Repeat, making 4 squash cakes. Cook until browned and crispy on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the cakes over and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

One of the things I love about the recipes on EatingWell.com is the "tips & notes" bit that's in many of them, in which they briefly explain about some part of the recipe that might not be common knowledge, and usually wasn't for me.  In this case, I'd never tried to remove the seeds from a squash or grate a squash before; it helped to have someone say, "This is exactly the way to do it," rather than wonder if my guesses/attempts are right or not.

Anyhow, when I made this, my cakes did not hold together at all and I ended up with something more like hashbrowns than patties.  Knowing me, I'm sure it was something I did a bit wrong, and not a failing of the recipe, so you'll probably have better results.  It really didn't matter anyway -- I just scooped up the pieces and ate them as they were, and it was still really delicious!  Otherwise, the only thing I changed was using my trusty dried chopped onion bits rather than buying shallots, and using 1 teaspoon of dried parsley rather than fresh.