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I love food. I love cooking. I love sharing food. It's the one gift you can give someone that they take inside of themselves and forever becomes a part of them. Food is more than fuel. It's a feeling, a memory, a cure, a gift, a toy..... My recipes aren't exact. There's room for substitutions, discovery, experimentation and play. Anything can be healthy with a few tweaks, or comforting with a few more. Many of my recipies are veggie friendly with just the omittance of meat, never lacking in flavour. The sky is the limit -Variety is the spice of life!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Roasted winter squash purée

This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes or a starchy side. It's a pretty intuitive dish, simple, and easy to experiment with. Woo hoo! Playing with food! You know I love it. *grins wildly*

This makes the dish an excellent repurposed leftover food. Yes. Waste not want not! I start with a good sized winter squash (thick skinned like an acorn or butternut), and cut into quarters. I brush just a bit of olive oil on it, nothing else (it'll get the love later), to help encourage caramelization.

I roast it at high temp of 425 to really coax out those toasted savory flavors. Once the flesh is soft when pricked with a fork, and the tips are a little toasted, I pull out the squash to cool.

Time to get naked! The squash, that is. Well, you can too. I won't judge. Turn the squash flesh side down in a bowl. This makes the skin super easy to remove.

Next it's time to mash, add a little salt, pepper and butter to taste. Wasn't that easy?


With this base, you can upgrade fresh or from leftovers by adding:
  • Cinnamon, brown sugar and cardamom
  • Goat cheese, parsley and garlic
  • Ham, caramelized shallots and fresh thyme
  • Topping of bacon crumbles, crème fraiche, and scallions
The list could go on and on....

Enjoy!

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