I have another squash success to report. I brought a trial squash dish to my family Christmas gathering. (We all knew there would be more food than we could eat, and several of us were up for an experiment.) The original recipe comes from a flyer I received from the Seghesio Winery, which gets my money on a regular basis for some excellent wines, and which includes recipes in their newsletter. This recipe is not presently on their web site. I took a few necessary liberties with the recipe, but the credit should be all theirs.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette, from Seghesio Family Vineyards.
2 lbs. butternut squash, diced into 1-1/2" pieces
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 T olive oil
1/4c whole grain mustard
2T honey
2T cider vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400F. Toss squash in mixing bowl with rosemary and olive oil (the 2T at top). Place in oven on sheet pan in a single layer. While squash is roasting make the vinaigrette: combine mustard, honey and vinegar in mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Squash is done when there is no resistance when pierced with a toothpick (approximately 20 minutes). When squash is done, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with vinaigrette. Seghesio recommends pairing it with their 2011 Block Zinfandel.
Liberties:
1. With all the squash I had on hand waiting to be used, I discovered that I did not have butternut squash. I had acorn squash and some small, bright orange squash of about the same size as an acorn squash. I diced and used those. In the process I decided that the acorn squash was a major pain to peel, what with all those ridges. That's probably why they recommended butternut.
2. I had no whole-grain mustard, and used Dijon instead.
3. I used dried rosemary and guesstimated the equivalent amount, and tossed the entire roasted-dressed assembly with more rosemary before serving.
I think this must be a pretty forgiving recipe. Despite the liberties, the dish was a hit, even to the squash-dislikers at the table. It's likely to make its way into more family gatherings. I wish I'd taken a photo, or could link to theirs, but I didn't and can't. Trust me that it was as pretty as it was good, and I recommend this treatment.
