Arugula adds a peppery foil and color contrast to this hearty dinner salad made with naturally sweet, roasted butternut squash and creamy tahini dressing. (Courtesy Cook’s Country) Call it a seasonal collision, but fall’s splendidly bumpy, striped and oblong gourds are spilling onto the heirloom tomato tables at farmers […]
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Call it a seasonal collision, but fall’s splendidly bumpy, striped and oblong gourds are spilling onto the heirloom tomato tables at farmers markets around the Bay Area. And it won’t be long before temperatures dip — they will, right? — and the days stretch to the point that you’ll crave cozy sweaters and a warm bowl of winter squash soup.
You’ll find that soup, and so many other delightful squash dishes, on the menus of restaurants across the Bay Area. The Wolf in Oakland makes a red kuri squash and apple soup with gochugaru pepper. Richmond’s Maya Taqueria stuffs butternut squash into its salsa-laced vegetarian burrito. And Khaosan Thai in San Jose simmers pumpkin with chiles and kaffir lime in a creamy red curry.
Need inspiration for cooking at home? A timely new title, “The Complete Autumn and Winter Cookbook: 550+ Recipes for Warming Dinners, Holiday Roasts, Seasonal Desserts, Breads, Food Gifts, and More” (America’s Test Kitchen, $35), offers deliciously eclectic recipes — hello, Creamy Pumpkin-Chai Soup — and time-saving tips for every type of squash dish, from snacks and salads to entrees.
Start simple. Even canned. Pureed pumpkin has endless savory possibilities. It can be whipped into a comforting soup, swirled into pasta sauces and even stirred with thyme into arborio rice for a creamy pumpkin risotto. Peeled and cubed, butternut squash roasts beautifully and adds color and depth to grain bowls or as a side dish, topped with herb-flecked garlicky yogurt, as in the Afghan borani kadoo.
Don’t have the muscle to manhandle a large, tough-skinned gourd? Julia Collin Davison, executive editorial director of America’s Test Kitchen, has the solution: a cleaver and rubber mallet.
“Place the cleaver where you want it and just tap with the mallet,” she says. “No shame in your game if you want to buy halved or quartered squash, too.” Just don’t buy the dried-out, already cubed stuff. It lacks flavor and performed poorly in the test kitchen, Davison says.
Using your microwave, crock pot or pressure cooker can speed up weeknight squash dishes. When making stuffed acorn squash, for example, Davison zaps squash halves in the microwave until tender then scoops out some of the sweet flesh, which she mixes with quickly hydrated bulgur, toasted pine nuts and ras el hanout, the North African spice blend. The mixture is mounded back into the squash, browned under the broiler and finished with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
“It’s a great jumping-off point to so many other recipes,” she says. “You want to add sausage? Change up the spices? Go ahead.”
Because of its versatility, butternut squash is one of Davison’s favorites to cube and roast. She uses leftover roasted butternut squash as the base for breakfast hash and hearty entree salads, like the Cook’s Country Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing.
The recipe is inspired by a Yotam Ottolenghi side dish with red onions and tahini-lemon dressing. Davison and the Cook’s Country crew made it their own by tossing the roasted butternut squash and cumin-seasoned onions with crisp arugula, which makes a peppery contrast to the sweet roasted veggies.
Add in toasted pecans, fresh mint and a creamy dressing, and the salad becomes a bright, satisfying vegetarian dinner or a great inspiration for your holiday meal planning.
