Butternut Squash with Shrimps Dish ( Soup)

During Saturday morning from 5 AM to about 10AM, there is an open market near us ( Libtangin, Gasan) offering fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and meat products at reasonable prices. We usually go to this market to purchase our vegetables at about 50% discount compared to the public market in downtown Boac. Usually there are lots of selections especially if you come early. You can purchase all kinds of locally grown vegetables such as ampalaya, pechay, beans, okra, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger as well as fruits both locally grown and imported. Here's our cook's simple recipe of locally grown butter nut squash with shrimps( 400 pesos/kilo) that we have for lunch today along with chicken adobo and steam rice.

Ingredients

1/2 kilo yellow squash (cut into 1 inch cubes)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 lb shrimps deveined (small to medium size)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
soy sauce or fish sauce(patis)optional) to taste. I do not like patis since I am not a true-blooded Tagalog but an Ilonggo.

Procedure

1. Cut squash into 1 inch cubes add a little salt and set aside until needed.

2. In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until tender. Add in tomatoes and cook until softened, regularly mashing with back of spoon.

3. Add the yellow squash cubes to pan and gently mix it into the dish. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes with 1/2 liter of water until the squash is cooked.

4. Add the shrimps and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it turn pink. (The soy sauce or patis could be added at this point(optional in my recipe). Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more water if necessary.

5. Serve with steam rice and chicken adobo ( cooked with a little oyster sauce)