Roasted Acorn Squash
Acorn squash, with its splendid, top-to-bottom fluted exterior and acorn-like shape, has impressed me as prettier to look at raw than delicious to eat. The pale, fine-textured interior seemed to lack pizazz. But that was before I discovered that strips of it, coated with olive oil, brown sugar and paprika and roasted at high heat, are irresistible. When it’s halved, seeded and cut into inch-wide slices, the skin gets crisp in the oven and the flesh becomes caramelized to creamy tenderness with a sweet edge. A final garnish of pepitas and coarsely chopped marcona almonds adds texture contrast and a welcome nutty flavor.
Yield: 4servings INGREDIENTS
4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1tablespoon brown sugar
3⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2acorn squashes, washed, dried, halved top to bottom, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
Coarse salt
2tablespoons roasted pepitas
2tablespoons coarsely chopped marcona almonds
chopped fresh parsley
Optional garnish: PROCEDURE
1: Preheat oven to 425degrees. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar and paprika. Add squash slices and toss to coat. Place in single layer on rimmed baking sheet; if any oil mixture remains in the bowl, spoon it over squash. Season with a little coarse salt.
2: Roast in middle of preheated oven for 15minutes. Turn with spatula and roast an additional 10minutes. Transfer to plate and season with a little salt. Top with pepitas and marcona almonds. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Vegetarian Enchiladas Suizas
Over the past couple of years, many markets have stocked cubes (or chunks) of ready-to-cook butternut squash in grab-and-go containers. Bless their little hearts. Usually those chunks are about 3⁄4-1inch wide, so for this recipe it will be necessary to cut them smaller so they cook to perfection in the allotted time. I have different varieties of chiles in my garden, and I sub in whatever is available, adjusting the amount to achieve a mildly spicy edge in the dish (no, I don’t grow habaneros; see cook’s notes). Yield: 4servings