Recipes From the Root Cellar_ 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables - Andrea Chesman [78]
4 sweet dumpling or buttercup squashes, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup lightly packed grated cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Place the squashes skin-side up in a baking pan just large enough to hold them. Add about 1 inch of water.
3 Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven.
4 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, apples, and almonds, and sauté until the leeks are tender, about 4 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and add the brown sugar and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture evenly among the partially cooked squashes.
5 Return the squashes to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until they are tender when the flesh is pierced with a fork.
Kitchen Note: You can substitute two acorn squashes for the sweet dumplings. If you do, divide them into quarters instead of halves.
Apple-Braised Delicata Squash
Serves 4–6
All winter squashes combine well with apples, so feel free to substitute other squashes in this recipe. I am fond of delicata squash in particular because its skin is edible; this makes preparation quite easy.
2 tablespoons butter
2 large delicata squashes, seeded and sliced into ½-inch rounds
1 shallot, diced
2 cups apple cider or juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the squash and shallot and sauté, coating in the butter, for about 1 minute. Add the cider and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
2 Remove the cover, increase the heat to high, and cook until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Baked Winter Squash
Serves 4
Just about every winter squash can be prepared this way. How much butter and sweetener to use is up to you — but if you are serving to people who are ambivalent about this high-nutrition vegetable, use a generous hand.
1–4 hard-shelled winter squashes, such as acorn, buttercup, golden nugget, hubbard, red kuri, sweet dumpling, or turban
Butter (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Cut the squash into halves if small, or into quarters or serving-size pieces if large. Remove and discard the seeds and fibers. Place skin-side up in a baking dish and add about 1 inch of water to the dish.
3 Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
4 Drain off the water. Turn the pieces flesh-side up, brush with butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if using. Sprinkle with brown sugar or drizzle with honey or maple syrup, if using. Bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Baked Spaghetti Squash
Serves 4–6
Spaghetti squash is less aggressively sweet than most of the other winter squashes. Its oddball stringy texture makes it fun to eat, though I don’t think it is a good substitute for pasta.
1 large spaghetti squash (about 3 pounds)
4 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place skin-side up in a baking dish and add about 1 inch of water to the dish.
3 Bake for about 40 minutes, until the skin begins to give. Let cool slightly.
4 Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
5 Using a large fork, scoop the squash out of its skin, pulling it