November 12, 2011: Roasted Butternut Squash With Sage Recipe

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for new and unique dishes to serve alongside my very traditional Thanksgiving turkey. This squash dish fits the bill perfectly; squash is in season during the fall months and the combination of tender chunks of squash with browned butter and fresh sage is simply delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash With Fresh Sage

1 large butternut squash

4 T. butter

4 T. olive oil

2 T. fresh sage leaves, torn into small pieces

1 t. real maple syrup

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half in lengthwise and remove seeds. Place each half on a cutting board and slice into one-inch thick slices (rind intact). Place butter and oil on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven until butter is melted; top with sage. Brush the flesh of the squash slices with maple syrup and sprinkle with salt and pepper; lay them on top of the butter/oil mixture.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Continue to cook for another half hour or so, turning the slices and basting with the butter mixture often. Cut off rind and garnish with fresh sage leaves before serving, if desired.

Serves 6 – 8

October 6, 2011: Squash Recipes

Of course, one thing you’ll see a lot of at the grocery store and farmer’s markets at this time of year are various types of squash. Personally I love squash of any kind (if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not very picky when it comes to food), however my husband had to eat it daily when he was a kid and his mom grew it by the truckload in their garden so he doesn’t get quite as excited as I do about the colors and shapes and textures of squashes.

I have a good friend at the grocery store, Brian, who manages the produce department. He let me know of some amazing, beautiful squashes that were available and I couldn’t resist buying some! So far, I’ve just used them as decorations on my fall table, as you can see here - but they should last for months so I consider it a very frugal way to decorate for autumn.

Brian recommends that when making squash, you use really good quality ingredients. His simple recipe:

Baked Squash

1 squash, your choice of variety such as acorn, spaghetti, butternut

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt (according to Brian, sea salt really brings out the sweetness of the squash)

Freshly ground black pepper

Basically, you just wash the squash and cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the halves cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet greased with olive oil. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, until soft. Scoop out the cooked flesh and add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

If you want a bit of variety you can add a tablespoon of maple syrup or substitute butter for the olive oil. A firm, tangy cheese like shaved Parmesan or a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts are also great complements to the slightly sweet flavor of squash.