Cranberries and walnuts add a festive flare to this delicious recipe for roasted squash.
The holidays are tricky times for the adventurous cook. You want to show off your culinary talents to friends and family, but your guests are really craving the traditional favorites. What to do? Play with the old standards, like squash, by adding gourmet touches.
Butternut, pumpkin, and acorn squash are the beauties of the fall and winter table. Filled with iron, riboflavin, and Vitamin A, they are also good nutritional sources through the cold months. Thus, they are perfect through the holidays and all the way to spring.
Ancient Food
Native to the Western Hemisphere, squashes have been consumed by the people of these lands for as long as 2000 years or more, according to the Food Lover’s Companion. It’s no wonder, then, that those who love squash—and want to include it on their holiday tables when it is most in demand—are a little bored with the most common preparations.
This recipe fancies up the humble gourd with toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and a luscious sage and lemon cream sauce. Best news yet: it can be made start to finish the day before and warmed up in time for dinner. Also good news: it can be made with any of the orange squashes: butternut, pumpkin, or acorn.
Easy Does It
Final note: unless you enjoy wielding hatchets and aren’t afraid of losing a finger, don’t bother trying to make this recipe from a whole gourd. Save those lovelies for decorating the table, and find yourself the pre-packaged and nicely cubed pieces. Even frozen whole pieces will work; thaw first. It will save you a lot of time and trouble.
Roasted Squash in a Sage Cream Sauce with Cranberries and Toasted Walnuts
Makes 4-6 servings
- 1 pound of squash, cut into large cubes
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp each of ground nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, white pepper
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock, warmed
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 cup heavy cream, warmed
- 2 TBS dried sage
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Lay the squash out onto a single layer on a sheet pan; use two pans if necessary
- Drizzle squash lightly with the extra virgin olive oil
- Mix all the dry spices together and sprinkle over the squash
- Sprinkle top with kosher salt and pepper; toss lightly to cover squash
- Bake in preheated oven until tender and edges are browned.
While squash is baking, make the sauce:
- In a deep sauté pan, reduce white wine to about an 1/8 of a cup, then add warmed stock
- Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer and reduce until 1 cup
- Add lemon juice, warmed cream, and sage
- Heat—do not boil or allow to bubble too much—stirring frequently—until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
- Put baked squash in a bowl and add walnuts and cranberries; toss lightly to evenly distribute the nuts and berries
- Slowly pour sauce over squash and gently stir to spread sauce evenly over squash
- Taste and adjust seasoning again
- Serve and enjoy!
