Mutant squash season

Cooler temperatures have finally come to Washington. You know what that means, don’t you? To paraphrase and bowdlerize Colin Nissan of McSweeney’s, “it’s mutant squash” season. (For the slightly more colorful and totally hilarious version, check out McSweeney's. Thanks, Skay!)

I love squash. I was always a really big fan of the acorn, since my parents use to roast it with butter, maple syrup and sausages in the cavity— fat and sugar, how could we go wrong? Anyway, this was enough of a staple autumn-wintry dish in my house that, on one occasion, I was delegated the task. I have a distinct memory of talking through the roasting process with my father’s secretary while waiting for him to talk me through it. As it turns out, this preparation was tradition in PJ the secretary’s house as well, and by the time my father was able to talk to me, her expertise had rendered his unnecessary.

Now that I’m all growed up, I don’t always have to call somebody to figure out what to do with squash—but occasionally, when our college kitchen was positively swimming in market share squash, I consulted the blogosphere. One exploration* yielded a recipe for white bean and kale stuffed delicata squash—an heirloom squash that is slightly sweeter than butternut, and whose major attraction is its edible peel (does anybody else hate fighting the peel off of a butternut’s awkward shape as much as I do?).

The ugly squashling.

The recipe called for tons of fresh sage—a luxurious ingredient I didn’t have at the time, and belonging to the class of “fresh herbs” which I didn’t usually have as a college student (if I had a fresh herb around, it was usually the lovely cilantro). I’m also not the biggest fan of white beans—I usually like them cold, pureed in dips or marinated—so I didn’t have those around at the time. So I improvised (like any good Povar-Bachorik, I looked for someone’s opinion—in this case, some poor blogger like me—and then basically ignored it).

I love black beans, so I used them in lieu of the white, allowing them to dictate the flavoring of the dish—that is, I went more Mexican than Italian. I also had some aging cornbread on the counter and some queso fresco in the fridge, which I substituted in for the template recipe’s crust of white breadcrumbs and parmesan. I was pleased with the results a year ago, so when some delicata caught my eye during a pumpkin run to the local farmstand, I thought I’d make something similar for a low-key-dinner-with-a-friend-on-Saturday-night-after-a-weekend-workday. The stuffed squash and some cilantro-cabbage slaw (keeping with the Mexican flavors) came together in about forty minutes (not bad), and when I sat down to enjoy it with good company and a Post Road Pumpkin Ale, I was very, very satisfied.

Delicata Squash stuffed with Black Beans

A How Now original

Note: I’ve only ever seen Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce from Goya, in little 4 and 6 oz. cans. They’re a wonderful way to add smokiness to any dish (instead of using this liquid smoke stuff I keep hearing about), and available in the international aisle of most supermarkets. The cans also last forever, because a little goes a long way.

1 delicata squash, halved and seeded

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

15 oz. cooked black beans (one can)

15 oz. diced tomatoes (I used canned, but fresh are fine!)

½ c beer**

½- 1 chipotle pepper finely chopped, with some of its sauce (see Note)

1-2 tsp. cumin

dash cinnamon

dash cayenne (optional)

salt

pepper

½ c. cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet, and place the squash halves on it, cut side up. Prick the squash with a fork in 3-4 places per half, and then drizzle/brush on about ½ tbsp. olive oil; finish by sprinkling squash with salt and pepper. Place squash in oven, setting a timer for 15 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Pour in RINSED beans, tomatoes (with  their juices) and spices, and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Moisten with beer, then throw in the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, and simmer about a minute more.

By now, about 15 minutes have probably passed. Pull the squash out of the oven, and check it for doneness—it should be completely cooked (i.e. tender when forked) before stuffing. If the squash still needs cooking, continue roasting, checking it in 3-5 minute intervals.

When the squash it fully cooked, generously stuff it with  the bean mixture (you will probably have leftovers). Top with grated cheddar (again, generously), and put it back in the oven for about five minutes, until the beans are heated  through and the cheese melted. Enjoy!

* At this point, I was using Tastespotting, a "a community driven visual potluck"/sort of food porn cum composite food blog site, a great deal. I’m finding that I use it less often now, and I refer more often to tried and true blogs and cookbooks. But it could also be that I have less desire to procrastinate now, and Tastespotting is just stellar for that.

**This measurement is kind of a lie. I took the glass of beer I was drinking from, and, much to my guest’s, erm, surprise, just kind of sloshed some of it into the pan.