Roasted Winter Squash
I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie — there I said it! — but I always feel a need to serve pumpkin in some guise for Thanksgiving. Here’s a way to use pumpkin (or any other squash or combination of squash), to make an amazing base for a soup or for stuffing into ravioli or for any other sort of savory thing. And yes, it does make a fantastic pie.
Ingredients:
- 3 lb. of squash - seeded, peeled, and cubed into 1 inch dice (see tip below)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 Cup butter, melted or ghee (or if vegan, substitute vegetable oil, but probably not olive oil)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 Cup dark unsulfured molasses
Make it:
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Season the squash with the salt and pepper.
- When the butter is melted and still quite hot, remove it from the heat and add the sage, sugar, vinegar, and molasses. Stand back - it will sputter! Mix it well and let it all simmer for a few moments.
- Pour the mixture over the squash, and toss it all together. Place the squash on a baking pan large enough to hold it in a single layer - you can use multiple baking pans, of course.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven, and roast for 30 minutes. Take the squash out, toss it again, and return to the over for about another 30 minutes. You want it to be very caramelized and soft when done.
- Remove from the oven, and let cool enough to handle, but not so cool as the liquids stop being runny
- Blend or process the squash in batches to make a purée.
This is a very versatile dish - you can serve it as is, stuff a ravioli, add some stock and make an excellent soup, or if you are skilled and ambitious, use as the pumpkin for a pie. It freezes well, too.
Tip: I find peeling hard squash to be a pain. I seed and cube the squash first, and then slice off the hard skin with my knife. I find this is much easier and efficient than trying to peel a pumpkin.
Adapted from: The Travigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello.
