Brooklyn's Belly: A Symposium of Squash

We love eating and anything related to good food. If we weren’t posting about Dumbo related items, we’d be food blogging. We occasionally write about restaurants, Dumbo’s farmers market, or the Dumbo CSA, but don’t dedicate the time to write more about it (DumboNYC food posts). We did a few CSA food/cooking posts (here and here), but when we heard about Mangia Vita, a new-ish food blogger was blogging from Dumbo, we were excited. We’re honored to introduce a new column, Brooklyn’s Belly, by Nicole, and hope to hear adventures of a foodie in Dumbo Brooklyn. Please welcome Nicole.


I rushed home from of all things, a food photo shoot to find the largest CSA share I think we’ve ever had. The variety was really exciting this week, and as I traveled down the line collecting my goods I was astounded to hear two pounds tomatoes, two pounds cherry tomatoes, two pounds potatoes, two pounds squash, two pounds two pounds two pounds…. My bag was soon heavier than a toddler, and as I shuffled back home I tried to imagine what to make for dinner. All I had going so far was a steak that was defrosting in the fridge – which is, in my opinion, always a really good start.

I unloaded the treats and decided I was going to tackle the squash this evening. I had glanced at a recipe on my shoot today that seemed easy enough, so I thought I’d try and make it my own. I sliced three squash (two yellow and one green one we had leftover from this weekend’s Chelsea Market excursion) lengthwise and then chunked them into one inch pieces. Drizzled some olive oil in the largest frying pan I could find and while that heated up I seasoned the squash with fresh ground salt and pepper.

On another burner I got a smaller pan going with a splash of oil. As soon as that pan was nice and hot in went the steak, seasoned with garlic salt and fresh pepper. Simple. My other pan was finally heated so I placed the squash cut side down, leaving enough room so every piece could get brown. In a small bowl I combined one chopped piece of garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, chopped fresh parsley and cilantro (thank you, CSA) and a few good shakes of some plain breadcrumbs.

Once the steak was nice and seared I flipped it over and seasoned that side. The squash was getting golden and soft and after a few good tosses in the pan (give or take 8 minutes cooking time) they were done and ready to be tossed with the bread crumb mixture.

The steak was cooked to perfection on the stove but I decided to give it a quick run under the broiler just to crisp up the edges. I tossed up a simple salad in the meantime of fresh greens, celery, and cherry tomatoes with a little red wine vinegar and oil. I don’t even try to attempt making my husband’s dressing because I can guarantee I’ll fail. One of these day’s he’ll have to cough up that recipe – I promise I’ll share it. It’s that good.

A few minutes of resting the steak and dinner was done! The squash was citrusy and light, and really flavorful. And the steak, well, are there words? We both completely over ate, but in times like these I don’t feel guilty at all.


Nicole Cummo Tereza, a graphic designer, food lover, and food blogger, is a Dumbo resident. Read more about her food adventures on her blog, Mangia Vita.

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