Quick! Before squash season succumbs to the abundance of fresh asparagus and artichokes we’ll find in the market soon, create something beautifully delicious with a squash!
My go-to “cucurbita” (Latin for gourd) is butternut. It’s so easy to split, peel, cube and roast … tossed in olive oil, a wonderful seasoned salt, and liberal sprinklings of my trusty garlic and onion powders. What could be easier?
I serve it as a main course over quinoa and brown rice or as a sumptuous side to grilled steak, BBQ pork ribs, fried chicken … almost anything but fish. Roasted squash is so rich and bold in flavor, in my opinion it would knock out the delicate taste of most fish.
Or try roasting with 1-inch slices of Italian sausage (sweet or hot). The spicy juices from the sausage infuse the squash and … oh my, too delicious for words!
There’s really no recipe to share except to preheat the oven to 400 degrees and do what I mentioned above. If you like, toss in minced garlic or maybe an onion cut into wedges but if you don’t have the time, ingredients or inclination, the seasoning alone works just fine. Roast about 15 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.
Enjoy!
Eat well. Be happy.
Plynn Gutman 