Delicata Squash
"Delicata squash is also called Peanut squash and Bohemian squash. It is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like corn and sweet potatoes. Size may range from 5 to 10 inches in length. The squash can be baked or steamed The thin skin is also edible. The delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn't suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months."
You can cook Delicata squash as you would with any other winter squash - baked, boiled, steamed, in soup, pureed - with the added bonus the fact that you can eat the peel!
Autumn Kale Salad
LIZ ALPERN and JEFFREY YOSKOWITZ, AUGUST 2016, THE GEFILTE MANIFESTO
Serves 4–6
INGREDIENTS
Our friend Stephanie loves to caramelize the squash in the oven and use it as a topping on homemade pizza or flatbread! To Caramelize Delicata
Our neighbor Mary loves it baked in the oven with butter and garlic. Grethen uses it to make a cheesecake!
Thanks to Eugenia Cooke and Joanne Cillo for sharing this recipe!
From Eat Well, a William Sonoma cookbook
Radical Roots Delicata Squash Stuffed with Sweet Onions
Last night we made the most amazing Delicata Squash. Thought you all would like this easy and delicious recipe! Unfortunately we ate it all before we could take a photo!!!
Cut in half lengthwise a Delicata Squash. Scoop out the seeds. Place peel side down on a baking sheet.
Lightly sautee some chopped sweet onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Fill the squash cavity with the onion/garlic mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes - or until the squash (including the peel) is tender. Remember - you can eat the peel of this wonderful winter squash!
Meanwhile.....
In a frying pan, sautee some more chopped sweet onions in olive oil and then add chopped tomatoes, olives, and shredded kale. Let simmer until you have a chunky sauce and all of the ingredients are thoroughly cooked. (You could add lots of other veggies to this sauce - your preference.)
When the squash is done, place each half on a plate and top with the sauce.
EAT AND ENJOY!
Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed with White Beans, Greens & Sage
from Eggs on Sunday
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash halves (cut side up) on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Drizzle the surfaces with some olive oil, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife or fork, about 1 hour. Remove the squash halves from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, make your filling: heat a little extra-virgin olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp) in a saute pan over medium heat until hot, then add the minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the greens and saute until wilted. Now add your drained, rinsed white beans and continue cooking the mixture until the beans are heated through. Stir in the chopped fresh sage, season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, and set aside to cool slightly.
Now you'll fill the squash halves: first, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. When the bean and green mixture has cooled slightly, stir half of the breadcrumb mixture into it -- this will help bind the filling together slightly. Divide this filling mixture between the cooked squash halves, mounding it in each.*
Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb and cheese mixture over the top of the filled squash halves. Drizzle some olive oil over the top of each squash half. Return the pan to the oven and bake the squash halves until the topping is golden, about another 15 minutes or so (check a little bit before so the topping doesn't burn.
Serves 4.
*If you have any filling mixture left over, it makes a great lunch dish: spread it in an individual gratin dish, top with another dusting of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, drizzle some olive oil over the top, and bake in a 425 degree F oven until the topping is golden. It's great by itself or spooned onto some crusty bread - yum!
Autumn Minestrone
From The Moosewood Collective
Warm the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost done. Add the kale and beans and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.
Serve immediately.
You can cook Delicata squash as you would with any other winter squash - baked, boiled, steamed, in soup, pureed - with the added bonus the fact that you can eat the peel!
Autumn Kale Salad
LIZ ALPERN and JEFFREY YOSKOWITZ, AUGUST 2016, THE GEFILTE MANIFESTO
Serves 4–6
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 head garlic
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for roasting garlic
- 1 small delicata squash, unpeeled and thinly sliced, seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Pinch of cayenne pepper or hot paprika (optional)
- 1 large head lacinato kale, thickest ribs removed
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds, toasted and chopped
- Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Trim about 1 inch off the head of the garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil on the garlic skins and rub it in. Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the individual cloves are completely soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- At the same time as you roast the garlic, roast the squash. Place the squash pieces in a small bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper. Spread out the squash on a large baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the pieces are browned and cooked through. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the cayenne (if using). Squeeze out the roasted garlic into the dressing. Stir well, breaking up the garlic. Set aside.
- Wash and dry the kale thoroughly and slice it into thin strips. Place it in a large bowl and add the dressing a bit at a time, using your hands to massage the kale leaves gently until the volume is reduced and they look softened and shiny. You may have leftover dressing. Add the raisins, nuts, and squash pieces and toss.
- Serve the salad at room temperature. Top with shaved Parmesan, if desired
Our friend Stephanie loves to caramelize the squash in the oven and use it as a topping on homemade pizza or flatbread! To Caramelize Delicata
- Cut Delicata (for pizza use 1/2 inch rounds, for other uses, use thicker rounds or chunks)
- Cut sweet onions (again, for pizza cut onions into rounds, otherwise chunks)
- Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
- Add sage, rosemary or other herbs to taste
- Bake in roasting pan at 400 degrees until squash and onions are soft and carmalized (45minutes to 1.5 hour, depending on size of squash)
Our neighbor Mary loves it baked in the oven with butter and garlic. Grethen uses it to make a cheesecake!
Thanks to Eugenia Cooke and Joanne Cillo for sharing this recipe!
From Eat Well, a William Sonoma cookbook
- 1 1/4 lb delicata squash
- 4 T olive oil
- 3 T red wine vinegar
- 8 oz baby spinach
- 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Peel and halve squash lengthwise. Remove seeds and slice crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. In a 12 x17 inch baking pan toss with 1 T of the olive oil, 1/4 t sald and a few grindings of pepper. Bake squash until tender, about 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix vinegar and 1/4 t salt (or less!). Add squash, spinach, feta and almonds. (Save a few almonds to garnish when salad is served.)
- Heat remaining 3 T olive oil in small pan over medium heat. Carefully pour oil over salad (oil may spatter) and toss to coat and wilt spinach evenly. Garnish with a few more almond slices.
- Serve immediately. Delicious!
Radical Roots Delicata Squash Stuffed with Sweet Onions
Last night we made the most amazing Delicata Squash. Thought you all would like this easy and delicious recipe! Unfortunately we ate it all before we could take a photo!!!
Cut in half lengthwise a Delicata Squash. Scoop out the seeds. Place peel side down on a baking sheet.
Lightly sautee some chopped sweet onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Fill the squash cavity with the onion/garlic mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes - or until the squash (including the peel) is tender. Remember - you can eat the peel of this wonderful winter squash!
Meanwhile.....
In a frying pan, sautee some more chopped sweet onions in olive oil and then add chopped tomatoes, olives, and shredded kale. Let simmer until you have a chunky sauce and all of the ingredients are thoroughly cooked. (You could add lots of other veggies to this sauce - your preference.)
When the squash is done, place each half on a plate and top with the sauce.
EAT AND ENJOY!
Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed with White Beans, Greens & Sage
from Eggs on Sunday
- 2 delicata squash, halved and seeds scooped out (you can save them and roast them for snacking!)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 15-oz can small white beans (such as navy beans), drained and rinsed
- about 4 large handfuls greens - kale, baby spinach, chopped chard, chopped collards, etc. - washed and spun dry
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash halves (cut side up) on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Drizzle the surfaces with some olive oil, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife or fork, about 1 hour. Remove the squash halves from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, make your filling: heat a little extra-virgin olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp) in a saute pan over medium heat until hot, then add the minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the greens and saute until wilted. Now add your drained, rinsed white beans and continue cooking the mixture until the beans are heated through. Stir in the chopped fresh sage, season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, and set aside to cool slightly.
Now you'll fill the squash halves: first, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. When the bean and green mixture has cooled slightly, stir half of the breadcrumb mixture into it -- this will help bind the filling together slightly. Divide this filling mixture between the cooked squash halves, mounding it in each.*
Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb and cheese mixture over the top of the filled squash halves. Drizzle some olive oil over the top of each squash half. Return the pan to the oven and bake the squash halves until the topping is golden, about another 15 minutes or so (check a little bit before so the topping doesn't burn.
Serves 4.
*If you have any filling mixture left over, it makes a great lunch dish: spread it in an individual gratin dish, top with another dusting of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, drizzle some olive oil over the top, and bake in a 425 degree F oven until the topping is golden. It's great by itself or spooned onto some crusty bread - yum!
Autumn Minestrone
From The Moosewood Collective
- 2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed winter squash, such as acorn, delicata, or buttercup
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
- 2 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups water
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans (15-ounce can, drained)
Warm the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost done. Add the kale and beans and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.
Serve immediately.