the hungry bambino

My oldest and dearest friend, Jamie, asked for some squash recipes. She too hit the last farmers' market on Saturday and loaded up her son Eli's stroller with this autumnal booty! So, what to do with squash? As I posted here, I really love roasted squash. Once roasted, you can do so much with it! Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern, French, South American, the list goes on and on.

So, James, here you go! Roasted squash, three ways ... all pretty fast, too!

Thai red curry with roasted squash and coconut milk
Serves two adults

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 knob of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon red curry paste; I like Thai Kitchen — add more or less depending on how hot you want it.
1 tablespoon fish sauce, again Thai Kitchen is great
1 can organic coconut milk, do not use the low-fat kind
1 cup roasted squash, cubed
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions
Start a pot of jasmine rice — white or heirloom, whole-grain.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add red curry paste and stir to incorporate. Reduce heat to medium and add coconut milk and fish sauce and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Fold in squash and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or until the squash is warmed through. Taste for seasonings; add a little more fish sauce, a squeeze of lime or some salt is needed. By now, your rice should be done and dinner is ready. Spoon curried squash over rice and garnish with some cilantro.


Pasta with sautéed sausage, sage and roasted squash
Serves two adults

Ingredients
1 red or yellow onion, diced finely
8 sage leaves
1/2 pound Italian sausage, pork, chicken or turkey — remove casings, if needed
¼ cup chicken stock (broth) or water
1 cup roasted squash, cubed
8 oz. of pasta — orecchiette, gemelli, rotelle, conchiglie
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Put large pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta according to directions.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sage leaves and cook for about a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain.

In the same pan, with now-fragrant sage oil, add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the sausage and sauté with onions until no longer pink, breaking up large pieces with your spoon. Add stock and bring to a simmer, using your spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the pan. Add squash, stirring gently to coat. Turn burner down to low until pasta is cooked and drained.

Once pasta is done, add to sauté pan and stir to incorporate. Serve with a few, now-crispy sage leaves as a garnish on each bowl. A copious amount of grated parmigiano reggiano would only improve it.


Black bean and squash empanadas
Makes 4 empanadas

Ingredients
1 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup roasted squash, cubed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or 4 oz. goat cheese crumbled
1 egg, beaten to blend in small bowl (for egg wash)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add cumin and cayenne; cook for 1 minute. Add black beans and squash, stirring to incorporate. Using back of a fork, mash bean filling slightly; season with salt and cool.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 14-inch square. Cut each into four squares. Place a heaping ¼ cup of filling in center of the squares. Sprinkle each mound of filling with cheese. Brush two adjacent edges of squares with egg wash. Fold 1 corner over filling to opposite corner, forming triangle. Using fork, press edges to seal crust. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or foil (easy clean-up!); brush entire surface of each empanada with more egg wash. Bake empanadas until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Serve hot with a salad of mixed greens.

Happy eating, -s.