Hello my Fellow Springdellians, Jess here to talk about squash! As we are starting to see in our share boxes, squash comes in all shapes and sizes. As the days permit, hopefully we can share a bit about each one that the ‘Dell has to offer.
Tonight I’m taking on the Delicata squash. This decorative squash is also nicknamed “peanut squash”. If you put a top hat on your Delicata, it might bare somewhat of a resemblance to Mr. Peanut, but the vibrant colors and decorative patterns on the skin of the Delicata are the distinguishing features. (also, it is clearly not a peanut).
One of my favorite things about this particular squash variety is that the skin can be eaten, making it a nice and decorative side dish for holidays. One of the cons to being the beauty of the squash bunch, however, is that the thin and delicate skin makes for a shorter storage life than many of the other varieties. This squash will not hold up in storage nearly as long as the thick-skinned acorn or butternut squash, so be sure to enjoy them first!
These squash are also great for stuffing! To prepare, you can cut it in half, scoop the seeds out, then cook it face down for about half an hour or until just tender. You can even microwave it if you are short on time.
Tonight, I chose to roast some slices of Delicata. I first put some Amish Roll Butter in my roasting pan at 375 degrees and just as the butter melted, I tossed in some whole fresh sage leaves.
If you get the timing and temp right, you’ll have some crispy and buttery sage that tastes as good as bacon (one woman’s opinion). Tonight I got a little distracted and browned the leaves a bit, which leaves a slight bitter taste (similar to overlooking a slice of bacon, actually).
Had I gotten to the stove a moment sooner, I’d have had sublime sage perfection. If you opt for buttery crisped sage leaves to crumble and sprinkle on your squash, watch the cooking closely, or use a sauté pan rather than the oven roasting method. Either way, once the sage is crispy (and hopefully not browned), set it aside for safe keeping as you prepare to roast your squash.
I brought the oven temp up to 400 before I made a mixture of a bit of unfiltered apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. I then tossed it with my half moons of squash, which I cut about half an inch thick.
Into the roasting pan they went, with just a bit more of that delicious butter. About 15 minutes on each side and we were ready for a treat!
That weird little green thing in the photo was a crisped pumpkin blossom from my garden. Tomorrow I’ll be clearing out the remaining veggies from my Community Gardens plot and look forward to throwing those into the mix as well. Until tomorrow, sweet and savory dreams!