Saturday, January 24, 2009

Braised Butternut Squash with Garlic

As I a couple of days ago, most of this week's recipes seemed to be almost entirely garlic oriented. Here is another one, some of which I added to the third helping of turkey meatballs over greens since I was running low on the greens and I added a few of the leftover sizzling shrimp too. I have a feeling that this coming week I am going to undo a lot of the good work that I have been doing lately in terms of eating better and exercising, but hopefully it will be worth it. For the most part though, I am going to try and stay on track with tasty recipes like this. This was a new cooking technique for me which was fun to try. I was a little doubtful about "browning" the squash after steaming it, but it worked really well. Besides peeling and cutting up the squash, this is a fast and flavorful side dish and it can work with many meals since none of the flavors are too overpowering. If you're in LA, did you feel the earthquake last night? I haven't felt any of the earthquakes this week, but I did have a dream a few days ago about "the big one". Guess I should put my preparedness kit together. Hope you are all having a great weekend, I am off to the pictures!


Braised Butternut Squash with Garlic
(Adapted from How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
via Serious Eats
)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound butternut or other winter squash, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup stock or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, then add the oil and garlic and cook until the garlic softens and begins to color, 2-3 minutes. Add the squash pieces and stock or water, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. When the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the squash is nearing tender but still quite firm, 5 to 15 minutes depending on piece size.

Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir occasionally as the liquid cooks away and the squash begins to brown, an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook until the pieces are well-caramelized, even beginning to crisp.

Adjust for seasoning, and toss with parsley off the heat.

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13 comments:

veggie belly said...

This sounds like a flavorful, easy dish. Love the color!

Anonymous said...

I'm with veggie belly! I love butternut squash and it is always a blessing to see new ideas and ways of serving - thank you!

Erica said...

Love squash. I actually really like the idea of browning after steaming- seems like it would cook the squash to perfection. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious. My sister has been on quite a squash kick so I'll have to pass this along.

A week of garlic recipes sounds pretty great to me...

vanillasugarblog said...

I would love to try the butternut squash in french fry form. Wonder if it would hold up well in frying or baking?
You gave me a wonderful idea.
I like the browning too; helps bring out the sugars in the squash.

Reeni said...

I hate peeling butternuts but it is so worth the trouble. Two of my favorite ingredients-delicious!!

Anonymous said...

mmm...good idea! i usually just steam butternut squash. this sounds much better!

Esi said...

Thanks guys!

Dawn, I have seen some recipes for squash fries around the web, I am sure you will find ways to kick it up!

Unknown said...

hmm, i haven't really tried "braising" i think the technique scares me :)

Maggie said...

This is new technique for squash for me as well. It sounds great and I love every recipe I've tried from Mark Bittman.

Andrea said...

I cannot get enough butternut squash. Cannot. I love how it's the complete and utter star here, and with garlic? It's sure to be a winner!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Dammit - I knew I bought that turkey for a reason! It was for those damn meatballs.

I have some butternut roasting with garlic in the oven at the moment, the synchronicity of reading your post and smelling it cook is excellent.

Anonymous said...

Aha! I picked up some butternut squash today for a risotto, got home, cut it up and realized I didn't have enough wine to make a risotto. Now I know what to do with the poor squash!