Opo Squash

Ask anyone that knows me- I eat weird food. More than anything, I am willing to try most things at least once, the exceptions being: raw meat, anything pickled in beet juice, stinky tofu (though I enjoy the non-stinky variety), things made from chocolate cake, and anything that resembles in anyway lard (and that includes mayo).

This summer, my mother found herself in possession of two opo squashes, roughly the size and shape of Louisville Sluggers. After chopping up and freezing 2/3 of the first squash, and frying the rest, my mom was at a loss with what to do with the second squash. Of course, the week she decides to give up cooking the opo is the week I show up for a visit. By the end of the week, the opo was covered in several inconspicuous plastic bags and smuggled into my car by my mother.

So, upon my return to Richmond, I had a three foot squash that I need to cook up and no idea what to do with it. I had read some where that opo and zucchini are similar enough in taste and texture that they can be substituted for one another. However, that seemed like a waste. It is a unique vegetable that you can't readily find in the markets in my area. Shouldn't I cook it in a dish it was intended for?

Wanting to maximize the veggie goodness, I opted first for Opo in Roasted Eggplant Sauce from Bread+Butter. Though I could not find a melon-baller describe in the recipe, I was able to find a veggie peeler that creates very thin ribbons about the diameter of angel hair pasta. Wanting to use the Opo in at least two dishes, I opted to only use the bottom half of the squash. Do you know how many veggie ribbons 1 1/2 feet of opo makes? Surprisingly, it makes only about 1 1/4 cups. (This opo had a very thick rind). All said and done, it was a very tasty dish, though the opo didn't stretch as far as I thought it would. Since I only have the veggie peeler, I will probably make it more of a dip or spread next time instead of a faux pasta. My husband on the other hand, who views veggies more as dietary obligations than nutritional goodies, would probably just prefer a PB&J.

After the Opo in Roasted Eggplant Sauce, I decided that making another unconventional dish might not be the best. My mother-in-law suggested making zucchini bread or, in this case, squash bread. Why not? I had another 1 1/2 feet of opo to use up. If anything, I learned that not all squashes are created equal. Oddly enough, the opo made the bread sweeter. However, the bread didn't set up as well. I might have put too much squash in, or the opo just produces more water.


So what did I learn from all this?

1.) One three foot squash does not make near the amount of food you think it would.
2.) Opo peeled ribbons do not make the best faux pasta.
3.) You should peel the opo before putting in through a food grinder.
4.) Make zucchini bread with zucchini. The jury is still out on opo-apple pie though....

It all started with a nasty case of bronchitis...

Like many teachers I know, I depend upon summer to recharge my creative and emotional batteries. Though teaching is quite rewarding, it can be taxing, and summer vacation provides an excellent opportunity to pursue, well, anything. Two years ago, I had my summer all planned out. It'd be the first summer in a few years without moving or extensive traveling, and I wanted to take full advantage of the free time to explore Richmond and investigate hobbies I hadn't had a chance to try. I could finally take the belly dancing classes I'd been talking about for years! Given Richmond's great location, I could go hike at the beach one week and at the mountains the next. The possibles were endless.

The morning after my last day of school, I woke up with a tickle in my throat. Not really out of the norm given my allergies, I proceeded to do my first library run of the summer and to go downtown for the afternoon. Within a few days however, that tickle turned into a nasty case of bronchitis. Bronchitis for the average person is no fun. For an asthmatic like me, it's even less so. Though I'm not a fan of making excuses, this case of bronchitis severely limited me to what I could do, and it lasted all summer long. Needless to say, all my plans for dancing, hiking, and exploring were quickly converted to resting, reading, and taking shorter walks. Though I was happy when I finally recovered, I was disappointed that I couldn't accomplish all that I wanted to over the summer.

I was very fortunate the next year to have a full time teaching job at a local public school and was able to teach night class at a nearby university. As much as I loved being able to teach at both locations, I was most definitely worn out by the end of the school year. Remembering the summer before, I decided that this year would just have to be different. Luckily, I found allergy and asthma medicine that controlled my symptoms. Knock on wood, I had stayed healthy.

So, I sat down and plotted what I wanted from this summer. Did I want to travel? Did I want to take a class? Play in different rec leagues? Learn a new skill? Just what did I want to do with my time?

I decided that outside of my time devoted to my family, friends, and dog, I was going to invest in me. I wanted to read an assortment of nonfiction books that would increase my understanding, improve my amateur photography skills, cook new dishes using the abundant local produce, explore Richmond, travel when possible, and be open to new experiences. Ultimately, my goal was to never sit still.

With a few more weeks to go before school starts back up, I'm pleased to say that I've accomplished most of my goals. My husband and I were able to travel to Puerto Rico. I cooked an innumerable amount of new dishes and learned to bake cakes and pastries with only whole grain flour. Thanks to friends who have lived here for years and zombie tour guides (see picture), I was able to see many new facets to Richmond. Though I didn't read as much as I thought I would, I was able to pick up a few new photography books to help me improve my skills. I even trained and ran my first 5k!

As the summer started to wind down, and I started to look towards the new school year, I realized it would have been helpful to me to keep track of all I did this summer. Therefore, I decided to start this blog. Though I doubt I'll be able to do as much during the school year, I hope I'll be able to keep up with most of it. We shall see...