Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

The other day, my wife picked up two yellow squash from Whole Foods. This led us to question, “What is the difference between “zucchini” and “yellow squash?*” Our conclusion is that both belong to the squash family and “yellow zucchini” exists but “yellow squash” is not “yellow zucchini”. We ate one of the squash sautéed for dinner which meant there was one left. My wife decided to use it before it went bad by making this dish inspired by the recipe she saw on-line called “Zucchini Garlic Bites”. As usual, she made some changes mostly due to what we had on hand. (For one thing we had “yellow squash” on hand not zucchini.) I helped by prepping the veggies. This came out rather nicely; with crunchy outer crust and soft, moist interior with subtle garlic and onion flavors. The cayenne pepper added a nice zing. Perfect nice bites. They actually got better with time as the various flavors melded together. Instead of making a dipping sauce, we just used the marinara sauce I made which we keep in the fridge mostly for pizza. This went very well.

*It appears that ”Yellow squash” is not a common vegetable in Japan. I see descriptions and recipes for dishes made of “zucchini” but not yellow squash.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded yellow squash drained well** (The original recipe calls for zucchini)
1 clove garlic grated fine
2/3 cup breadcrumbs (used Panko)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh green onion (the original recipe calls for chives)
(the original recipe calls for 1 tbs chopped parsley)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), we used dried
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp or more)
tomato sauce for dipping

** I use a potato ricer to squeeze out the moisture. This works better than other methods we tried.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
Use a box grater to grate the yellow squash. Using a potato ricer, squeeze out moisture (in batches).
Mash the garlic using a garlic press.
Add the shredded squash, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, green onion, basil, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. 
Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls. (You may need to add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet to hold its shape). Place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.