{"id":6351,"date":"2012-11-02T18:00:34","date_gmt":"2012-11-03T01:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/?p=6351"},"modified":"2012-11-02T18:00:34","modified_gmt":"2012-11-03T01:00:34","slug":"winter-squash-flavor-tender-skin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/winter-squash-flavor-tender-skin\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter squash flavor, tender skin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The vegetable selection is rapidly shrinking at local farmers markets with the arrival of a wet and chilly fall here in the Northwest.\u00a0 One of the compensations, though, is the arrival of beautiful squash in every imaginable shape, size and color.<\/p>\n

One of my favorites is the aptly named delicata.\u00a0 Like many of its cousins, this little squash boasts rich, sweet flesh that’s great in a soup, fabulous in a salad<\/a>, and terrific in pasta.\u00a0\u00a0 Unlike the better known butternut, Hubbard and acorn squashes, though, the delicata has skin that is thin and tender.\u00a0 For many dishes, you don’t even have to peel it.<\/p>\n

This is one winter squash that I can prep for a recipe without worrying that I’m going to take a finger off in the process.\u00a0 That alone would make it attractive in my book but I also love the way it cooks up quickly and takes to a wide range of flavor combinations.<\/p>\n

I like to steam the whole squash for 10-15 minutes, just until a sharp knife easily pierces the flesh.\u00a0 Then I can slice it open, scoop out the seeds, and use it in a stir fry, toss it with pasta, or stuff it with this stick-to-your-ribs blend of lentils, onions, mushrooms and greens.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The recipe takes its cues from the inspired British “cookery” writer Nigel Slater.\u00a0 His encyclopedic cooking and gardening guide, “Tender, A Cook and His Vegetable Patch” (Ten Speed Press, 2009), holds a place of honor in my bookcase.<\/p>\n

Slater created his stuffing for a British vegetable called a marrow, which resembles an overgrown zucchini.\u00a0\u00a0 The filling sounded perfect, too, for a tasty squash that resembles a fat zucchini in reverse colors.\u00a0 So I’ve stayed pretty close to the original. I steam the squash rather than baking it and throw in a handful of sliced mushrooms for woodsy flavor and meaty texture.<\/p>\n

Slater bills this dish as a cheap supper and there’s no denying that it’s economical.\u00a0 But I think it’s nice enough to serve company for a simple Sunday dinner.<\/p>\n

I’d consider it good candidate as well for a hearty vegetarian side dish to serve alongside the turkey on Thanksgiving.\u00a0 Just don’t tell anyone what a bargain it was.<\/p>\n

LENTIL-STUFFED DELICATA SQUASH BOATS<\/strong>
\nServes 4<\/em><\/p>\n

1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
\n2 Delicata squash, each about 10-12 ounces
\n3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
\n1 medium onion, chopped
\n1\/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
\n4 cloves garlic, minced
\n1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 20), halved
\n2-3 tablespoons chile sauce (such as sriracha)
\nSalt and freshly ground black pepper
\n2 cups Swiss chard leaves, removed from stems and chopped
\n1\/4 cup grated Parmesan<\/p>\n

Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan, add lentils and reduce heat to low.\u00a0 Simmer, covered for 20 t0 30 minutes, until soft and tender, then remove from heat and let cool.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, wash squash and place in a steamer over boiling water.\u00a0 Steam for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh is easily pierced with a small sharp knife.\u00a0 Remove from steamer, run under cold water to cool, then slice in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a metal spoon.\u00a0 Remove stems and blossom ends of the squash and place halves, cut side up, in an oiled rectangular casserole.<\/p>\n

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.\u00a0\u00a0 In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium high heat and add onions.\u00a0 Cook, lowering the heat if necessary to keep them from burning for 3 or 4 minutes.\u00a0 Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted.\u00a0 Add garlic and tomatoes and cook until the mixture is soft.\u00a0 Stir in the chile sauce and a scant cup of water to make a sauce.\u00a0 Season generously with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n

Drain lentils and add to the onion and tomato mixture.\u00a0 Stir in chopped chard leaves and bring mixture to a boil.\u00a0 Lower heat, cover, and simmer until chard is soft.\u00a0 Spoon lentil mixture into the squash boats, mounding it up if necessary.<\/p>\n

Sprinkle tops with Parmesan, cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes\u2013until the savory aroma begins to fill the kitchen and the squash and lentils are heated through.<\/p>\n

Adapted from “Tender, A Cook and His Vegetable Patch,” by Nigel Slater<\/div>\n

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The vegetable selection is rapidly shrinking at local farmers markets with the arrival of a wet and chilly fall here in the Northwest.\u00a0 One of the compensations, though, is the arrival of beautiful squash in every imaginable shape, size and color. One of my favorites is the aptly named delicata.\u00a0 Like many of its cousins, … Continue reading Winter squash flavor, tender skin<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6351"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6383,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6351\/revisions\/6383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}