By The Green City Market opened for the season on Saturday and I went with the twins in the double stroller, which we are nearly too big for — Owen specifically is nearly too big, his legs hang over the front with the resignation of a large person accommodating a small space — and we made our way through the early-season stalls. April at the market is asparagus and radishes and the first greens, still small and tender, and the farmers who have the look of people who have been working since February and are relieved that someone has finally come to buy what they grew.
I bought asparagus and spring onions and a bunch of radishes that Owen immediately grabbed and had to be redirected. I roasted the asparagus with olive oil and salt and served it with the last of the Easter ham sliced thin and some good mustard, and that was dinner, and it was the right dinner for the first warm enough evening to eat with the window open. The apartment smelled like spring coming through the screen. Owen ate his asparagus in three bites. Nora rejected it comprehensively and then ate three stalks of Owen's when she thought nobody was watching.
Ryan is studying for his lieutenant's exam, which is in June. He studies at the kitchen table most evenings after the twins are down, with the material spread out and a cup of coffee and the focused quiet of someone who has committed to a thing and is doing it without drama. I bring him coffee when the cup is empty. I do not interrupt. This is the rhythm of a partnership: you show up for the thing the other person is doing, you do not require it to be different. He studies. I bring coffee. The exam will happen. He will pass it. He has already done the work.
April teaching is its own country: the year is visible from here, the students can smell June, and the job is to keep them inside the work long enough to finish something worth finishing. I have been doing end-of-year writing projects with my class, personal essays, the kind where you write about something that actually happened to you. Some of these essays are going to break my heart when I read them. Some of them already have. This is what I signed up for. This is why I am in this room.
The asparagus and ham were the star of Saturday’s dinner, but the market had other things to say — and pattypan squash, small and pale and almost too pretty to cook, were among them. There is something about the first warm-enough evenings of the year that calls for food that doesn’t require much fuss: just a hot grill pan, some olive oil, and something worth eating. This recipe has become a reliable part of the spring rotation, the kind of thing you make when the window is open and the kitchen smells like outside.
Grilled Pattypans
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pattypan squash, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the grill or grill pan. Heat an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. If using a grill pan, lightly brush with oil to prevent sticking.
- Prepare the squash. Trim the stem and blossom ends from the pattypan squash and slice each one crosswise into halves or 1/2-inch rounds, depending on size. Pat dry with a paper towel so they sear rather than steam.
- Season. In a large bowl, toss the squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme until evenly coated.
- Grill. Place the squash cut-side down on the hot grill. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes until grill marks form and the edges are lightly caramelized. Flip and cook another 4 to 5 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, scatter the parsley over the top, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg