Of all the trauma I feel I’ve endured as a child, having to eat overcooked and bitter spinach, broccoli and slimy squash was pretty darn bad and the pinnacle of my vegetable resistance.  Thank goodness the spinach rarely made a dinner table appearance and the broccoli our dog was agreeable to help me out with.  But the squash…. oh how I hated the squash and so did our dog.  So I was always stuck with the squash.  Stuck to forge the strength to eat it sans any mercy from a mother who was serious with the stink-eye if she thought you were even remotely protesting anything she cooked.  And back then we had to ask permission to be excused from the table. An agreeable “yes” only came with proof of a cleared plate.

That’s why I find it so ironic that now I absolutely love squash…. yep, I said it and I do.  I also love spinach and broccoli but that’s because I prepare it completely different than how it was served to me as a child.

One of my favorite ways to prepare squash is to simply roast it.  From there I can just eat it straight out of the baking dish (sometimes I can’t resist to hit it as soon as it comes out of the oven) or make a puree to use for soup, ravioli, a side dish to roasted chicken or even use in cheesecake!

So here is how I make roasted winter squash.  You can use any type of squash you want but pay attention to roasting times as that may vary. Sometimes I like to mix up different roasted varieties to use when making roasted squash soup.

In a previous post I shared a roasted spice mix.  You’ll want to be sure to make a batch before you roast your squash because you’ll need some for this recipe.  Here is a link to that.  My next post will be a recipe for roasted squash cheesecake in which you will use the puree you make in this recipe.

Roasted Squash

• About 2-3lbs butternut squash (I use 1-2 medium size squash)
• 1 Stick unsalted butter
• 2 TBL Granulated Sugar
• 2 tsp. Raw Sugar
• 3 TBL chopped Sage Leaves
• ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
• ¼ cup Dark Molasses
• 2 ½ tsp. Toasted Spice Blend
• Salt and pepper

Steps

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Peel the squash (I use a vegetable peeler). And discard the seeds, then cut into small squares. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sage, sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses and toasted spice mix.  Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

• Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed backing dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.

• Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to a food processor and process until smooth. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

• Yield: About 2 Cups of puree

Serving suggestions: serve the puree on its own, in soups, polenta, ravioli or as a side dish for roasted turkey or chicken.  When I use this in ravioli I reduce the puree even more in a pan with balsamic vinegar and sage.

I hope you love this as much as I do and can’t wait to hear from you after you do!

I am,
The Urban Mountaineer