Stuffed Eight-Ball Squash

I've been reveling in the bounty that is the farmers market these days. My morning smoothies are much better with fresh peaches or blueberries. I seem to make a pot of green beans and new potatoes every Sunday. And I seem to be having sliced tomatoes (or those wonderfully sweet golden cherry tomatoes) with every meal.

But I was stumped by the round zucchini that I kept seeing alongside the regular zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. They seemed to be too interesting to just steam or drench in cornmeal and fry. So I was thrilled to find this recipe in The Dallas Morning News. It was rich and healthy all at the same time. It's a great vegetarian meal or would be a good side dish for roasted pork or chicken. (My other half said it tasted just like Thanksgiving.)

Stuffed Eight-Ball Squash
Serves four as a side dish.

4 eight-ball squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (can substitute shallot)
1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning (or thyme or oregano)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper

Fill a big pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cut 4 eight-ball squash in half horizontally. Cut just enough of the stem end off for that half to sit flat. Trim off the end of the other half so it also sits flat. Scoop out the pulp to create a 3/8 -inch-thick shell. Reserve the pulp. Boil the shells in salted water for 2 minutes. Remove and drain.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a baking dish large enough to hold the halved eight-balls.
Finely chop the reserved squash pulp. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped pulp, onion and Italian herb seasoning and sauté until tender. Remove from heat and combine with the bread crumbs , Parmesan cheese, parsley, several grinds of black pepper and salt to taste.

Place stuffed eight-ball halves in the prepared dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Food/Wine Pairing: It might seem strange to propose a wine pairing for a side dish, but this one is a homerun. Open a bottle of rosé--the perfect summer wine--to go with this one. Maybe one of these.