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: 4 servings INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 acorn squashes, washed, dried, halved top to bottom, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices

Coarse salt

2 tablespoons roasted pepitas

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped marcona almonds Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley

PROCEDURE

1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 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 15 minutes. Turn with spatula and roast an additional 10 minutes. 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 3⁄4-1 inch 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: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large poblano chili, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced (about 1 cup), see cook’s notes

11⁄4 cups (cut 1⁄4-inch thick) red onion slices, divided use (cut onion in half top to bottom before slicing)

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Seasoned salt such as Spike or Lawry’s

11⁄2 cups store-bought green salsa

11⁄2 cups (cut into 3⁄8-inch dice) peeled butternut squash 7 (51⁄2-6-inch) corn tortillas

6 ounces shredded, low-moisture mozzarella cheese

1⁄3 cup sour cream or Mexican-style crema

Garnishes: Shredded Iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes

Cook’s notes: Poblano chiles can vary greatly in their spicy “heat.” Poblanos are a mild- to medium-heat pepper measuring between 1,000 and 2,000 on the Scoville scale (jalapenos range from 2,000-8,000). I take a tiny taste of the poblano before I add it; if it is on the spicier side, I add less. If red onion is fiery, I put the portion that is used for garnish in some ice water for 20 minutes to bring out the sweetness, then drain and pat dry before using as a garnish.

PROCEDURE

1: Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a 10-inch, ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Add oil, chili and 1 cup onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add butternut and cook until squash is fork tender and mixture is starting to brown, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes (about halfway through, you may need to reduce heat to medium-low to prevent onions from overbrowning). Transfer to a plate. If desired, sprinkle on a little seasoned salt. 2: In the same skillet, place 1 cup salsa. One at a time, dip tortillas in salsa and place on a separate plate using tongs or clean fingers, scattering them in different locations on the plate so they will be easy to grab.

3: Using same skillet (that has some residual salsa), add 4 tortillas in single layer, arranging so that top edge of tortilla comes up the side of the skillet (there will be a little overlap). Add two-thirds of vegetable mixture and top with three more tortillas. Add the remaining vegetable mixture. Top with cheese, sour cream (drop on in small spoonfuls) and remaining 1⁄2 cup salsa.

4. Bake until bubbly and browning in places, 20-24 minutes. Divide between 4 plates. Garnish with lettuce, avocado, radishes, tomatoes and remaining 1⁄4 cup onions.