OMGSNAX!

i’ve been flipping through old cookbooks again, pausing at already-dogeared pages & contemplating new recipes. after a while, they start to look the same, or at least similar to recipes i already make — the devil’s in the details. so, for example, i’ve already made a pasta with squash, but come on! it’s winter! squash season! throw me a freaking bone here!

this was for our weekly sunday night dinner at daniel’s house, which was attended this week by the two of us, bart, sarah, val, & ian. bart felt sorry for daniel in his squash-hating state & brought along some chicken to prepare as well, but i think this recipe can stand on its own.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups diced (1/2-inch) butternut squash (from a 1 1/2 pound squash)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
6 sage leaves, minced or 1/4 teaspoon powdered sage
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 pound uncooked penne
grated parmesan

METHOD
bring a large quantity of water to a boil in a stockpot. heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. toss in the squash & sauté 5 minutes, or until it begins to get golden. sprinkle in the garlic & sauté 2 minutes. pour in the quarter cup of water. cook the squash until tender, about 5 minutes more.

cook the penne until al dente, about 10 minutes. drain thoroughly in a colander & return to the pot. spoon on the squash mixture & toss gently. serve with a sprinkling of parmesan & pass more at the table.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
so as i’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s a step missing from the directions — no indication as to when the seasoning should be added. common sense says it should be added before the squash is covered & cooked, but honestly: proofreading!!

as usual, there was recipe doubling involved, which meant much dicing of squash, & i know i tend to shout it from the rooftops, but i’d definitely like to reiterate that without pre-peeled & cubed squash from trader joe’s, i’d be SOL on this venture. it still took nearly fifteen minutes to take the cut squash & dice it, after all, & i’m nothing if not lazy. (plus the dish i made to go along with this was a sweet potato/russett potato/onion home fries medley that involved a fair amount of dicing itself!)

this recipe was easy to follow to the letter — although i used a rennet-less cheese instead of parmesan (as i always do) — & i thought it was mighty fine. i know my propensity for butternut squash knows no bounds, & i know the time is nigh to investigate other vegetable options, but it’s just so damn delicious.

verdict: the pasta was too al dente, daniel still hates squash, & yes, it was quite garlicky. but still: would make again.

 

 

 

“Penne with Garlicky Butternut Squash” from Vegetarian Classics: 300 Essential Recipes for Every Course and Every Meal by Jeanne Lemlin, © 2001.

um hi. i took the afternoon off work to make this + latkes with my sister, & so?? what, do you wanna fight about it?

i first found this recipe when trying to figure out what i’d bring for myself on thanksgiving, since normally all i eat is the vegetarian dressing my grandma makes for me & maybe some rolls. (everything else is a bust — either meaty or gross.) i wound up making an artichoke spread — one of my family’s favorite hot appetizers — but bookmarked this recipe for a later date, & as it turns out, the later date was to be the first night of chanukah.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, & cut into 1-inch cubes
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan

METHOD
cook’s note: the no-boil lasagna noodles can be substituted with fresh spinach lasagna sheets. look for fresh lasagna sheets in the refrigerated section of specialty markets.

heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. add the squash & toss to coat. sprinkle with salt & pepper. pour the water into the skillet & then cover & simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. cool slightly & then transfer the squash to a food processor. add the amaretti cookies & blend until smooth. season the squash purée, to taste, with more salt & pepper.

melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. add the flour & whisk for 1 minute. gradually whisk in the milk. bring to a boil over medium-high heat. reduce the heat to medium & simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. whisk in the nutmeg. cool slightly. transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. add the basil & blend until smooth. return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan & stir to blend. season the sauce with salt & pepper, to taste.

position the rack in the center of the oven & preheat to 375 degrees F.

lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. spread 1/3 of the squash purée over the noodles. sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. repeat layering 3 more times.

tightly cover the baking dish with foil & bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. sprinkle the remaining mozzarella & parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles & the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*when blending hot liquids: remove liquid from the heat & allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. transfer liquid to a blender or food processor & fill it no more than halfway. if using a blender, release one corner of the lid. this prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
i couldn’t find those amaretti cookies to save my life! i considered adding a little almond extract to the squash but ultimately decided against it. i also wound up using apple pie spice instead of nutmeg, b/c i couldn’t find my mom’s nutmeg (it was hidden in a small container on a really high shelf!) & i couldn’t raise her on the phone in time — the apple pie spice was nothing more than cinnamon, nutmeg, & allspice, anyway, so no big change there.

also, am i the only one who has a really tough time with lasagna recipes? how do you divide the squash purée into thirds but have enough for four layers? does “repeat three times” include the first layer? & if so, what of the 12 lasagna noodles? i wouldn’t read it that way, anyway, but DAMN. spell it out for us, b/c that really made no sense to me! i wound up making four full layers, & i had a ton of the basil cream sauce left over b/c i think i mis-interpreted the directions, so i just poured it over the top & crossed my fingers. believe me, it worked out just fine.

in fact, it tasted even better than i’d hoped it would. the cream sauce looked thin but cooked up a-ok, & it really didn’t overwhelm the squash at all the way i’d thought it would given how much basil was in there. i also felt a little dubious that basil would even go well with butternut squash — i see it mostly with sage — but it was FANTASTIC. i’ll make it again & again & again!!

 

 

 

“Butternut Squash Lasagna” from Everyday Italian

meg — my recipe-searching partner-in-crime (we once spent an afternoon back-&-forthing about the perfect vegetarian stroganoff recipe) — sent me a link to this particular dish back in september, & i bought a squash right away to try it. i unfortunately couldn’t convince anyone to try it with me, & the squash languished unused & unloved, first on the counter, then in the produce bin in the fridge, till i finally threw it out last week b/c it was starting to look a little scary.

in the meantime, i’d discovered trader joe’s pre-cubed squash — the glory! the ecstasy! — & have made several squashy dishes on my own without worrying about losing fingers (always a big concern), & so finally the time was right to attempt this casserole.

INGREDIENTS
1 large butternut squash
1 cup chopped onions
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1-2 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 cup green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
cut squash in half lengthwise & scoop out seeds. bake cut sides down at 425 degrees 45-50 minutes or until very soft at thick end. let squash cool & scrape out of the shell; mash as smoothly as you can. meanwhile, sauté onion, garlic, & spices in olive oil until onion is translucent. add peppers & salt, stir, cover, & leave on low heat 5 minutes.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. stir beaten eggs into mashed squash. add corn, sautéed vegetables, & grated cheddar; stir to mix well. bake 20 minutes covered; uncover & bake 20- 30 minutes more.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
i was initially planning to halve the recipe considering every time i mentioned wanting to try it, no one sounded all that thrilled about it, but as it turned out, we were expecting eight for dinner so i figured it’d be prudent to make up the whole recipe. i purchased more pre-cubed squash from trader joe’s (i know it sounds like a product placement, but seriously! best thing ever!!), but i neglected to purchase more bell peppers, so the casserole itself was a little sparse owing to this fact — & the fact that i hate corn in almost every capacity (including popped, excluding on the cob & in bread or muffin format) so i eliminated that right off the bat.

so instead of roasting the squash halves, i just plopped the squash cubes in the casserole dish with a little olive oil, covered it with foil, & cooked it at 400 degrees for a little over half an hour. i could then mash them up with a fork with no trouble at all.

if i hadn’t been so pressed for time, i probably would’ve let the squash cool a bit before adding the egg — as i knew it would start to cook after being added to such a hot dish — but i was STARVING & i knew everyone would be over in no time at all, so i did the best i could, mixed everything up quickly, & put it back in the oven before it even knew what hit it.

taste-wise, i thought it was a little bit eggy but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. i just haven’t been all that successful at finding a dish i think highlights the squashiness of squash. i knew the cumin/chili powder combination would be a little overpowering — & it was — but i’m at my wits’ end as far as coming up with subtle squash recipes.

it was still good, don’t get me wrong — in fact, we had no leftovers, & even daniel (a self-proclaimed squash-hater) tried it & said he’d eat it again if i made it! — it just wasn’t exactly what i was looking for.

 

 

 

“Chilean Butternut Squash Casserole” via megatron, modified from Moosewood’s recipe