Sauteed Tatume with Texas Tarragon & Garlic Chives

Tatume squash is a cultivar that originated in Mesoamerica. It can be picked young and eaten like a summer squash or picked when mature and prepared or stored like a winter squash. Young tatume will keep up to a week in your fridge while mature tatume will store up to 6 months in a cool, dry place like your pantry. This recipe takes advantage of tender, young tatume picked from the South Farm and herbs from our perennial planter boxes.

Recipe note: the older tatume gets, the tougher the seeds become. Feel free to scoop out the seeds before proceeding with the recipe.

1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

1 shallot, minced

1 serrano pepper, minced (remove some or all of the seeds if you want it less spicy)

sea salt to taste

1 young tatume squash, diced

1 tbsp chopped Texas tarragon (Mexican mint marigold)

1 tbsp chopped garlic chives

fresh lemon juice to serve

Heat the oil in a pan set over medium heat. Add the shallot, serrano, and a pinch of salt. Cook the shallot mixture, stirring occasionally, until the shallots turn translucent and begin to caramelize around the edges. Add the tatume and another pinch of salt. Cook the tatume, stirring every minute or so until it softens and begins to turn translucent. This will take about 5-7 minutes. During the last 30-60 seconds of cooking, add in the Texas tarragon and garlic chives. Taste the tatume and add more salt if needed. Right before serving, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top of the tatume. Makes 2-4 side servings.