Squash and Pistachio Crumble

You’ll find a host of red, white, and blue desserts at 4th of July tables, but I don’t think of those desserts as more American than apple pie. However, it’s not apple season until fall and if you know me, I hang onto summer as long as I possibly can.

I found something that tastes like apple pie, but screams summer with its bright notes of lemon. It’s the perfect way to use your abundance of yellow squash and doubtful anyone else would bring this dish to the same party. Even people who snub their nose at squash will have smiles on their faces. I argue that this dish is more American than apple pie because apples are not native to North America and squash is. 

This crumble is best served hot, but is also delicious at room temperature or chilled. You can assemble it ahead of time and pop it in the oven before serving.

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard. I changed ingredient quantities and made it simpler and quicker for you to make.

Shout out to a friend who made sure I knew he was only giving constructive criticism. He recommended topping it with whipped cream so it won’t look savory. I agree that would be beautiful and maybe even dust the whipped cream with a little cinnamon or nutmeg.

Squash and Pistachio Crumble Ingredients
3.5 quarts yellow squash
¾ c lemon juice
¾ c sugar
½ tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

½ c AP flour
½ c cornmeal
½ c sugar
¼ tsp salt
¾ c butter
1 cup unsalted pistachios

Squash and Pistachio Crumble Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the ends off the squash. Slice it into ¼” rounds, stack a few of the circles at a time then slice them into ¼” strips. Put them into a 3.5 quart (can be bigger), oven-safe saute pan or Dutch oven. Put the pan on medium heat and add ¾ c lemon juice, ¾ c sugar, and ½ tsp salt to the pan. As the squash heats, it will release the juices.

Give the squash an occasional stir. You want the liquid to simmer, but make sure the squash doesn’t brown, If the squash begins to thicken, reduce the heat and add a little water if the pan is dry (it shouldn’t be unless you were blasting the heat).

When there is only about 3-4 Tbl liquid left in the pan, remove it from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ½ tsp nutmeg. It will take about an hour of cooking time, but go by the visuals and not the time.

Add ½ c AP flour, ½ c cornmeal, ½ c sugar, and ¼ tsp salt to a food processor (see the notes if you don’t have one) and pulse until combined.

Cut the butter into ½” slices and put it in the food processor. Pulse until the butter gets broken into large pea size bits. Add 1 c of pistachios to the food processor until the pistachios are at your desired consistency. I like the pistachios about ¼-⅓ of their original size. 

Cover the squash with the crumble mixture. Do not smooth it because you want crispy bits, but you want it fairly uniform in thickness. Bake uncovered until the top is golden brown. I apologize that I kept forgetting to time this part. The original recipe says to bake 30 minutes, but I think it will take a little longer than that.

Notes
The original recipe says you can use zucchini or yellow squash. I’ve tried both. You probably won’t notice a difference in flavor, but the yellow squash is far prettier.

Make sure you zest the lemon, before you squeeze the juice.

If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Either cut in butter with a pastry cutter or freeze the butter and grate it on the large holes of box grater. Add it to the bowl and stir. Rough chop the pistachios and stir them into the mixture.