On the Light Side -- Marathon Day 1

What’s cooking? Butternut Squash with Spicy Yogurt and Cilantro Sauce

It’s that time of year again, when cooks everywhere in the U.S. wrestle with old foods versus new foods, remembering which dishes were disasters and which are only sort of okay but you serve it anyhow because Aunt Minnie loves it, and thinking what they can do to bring a little life into the old menu. My friend Joy told me about the first Thanksgiving she and her hubby shared with their blended family of 7 adult children (including one spouse). Joy asked everyone to bring a dish they loved from life-long Thanksgiving celebrations, and the one spouse said, “Do I have to? I didn’t like most of them and am happy to try a whole new experience.”

If you feel that way, or maybe just wish for a new idea, the Kitchen Goddess has been doing the research for you. She has combed her voluminous sources and found a salad, a root vegetable dish, a butternut squash recipe, and a whole new way to serve potatoes – and all with you, dear readers, in mind. We’ll do this like vitamins – one a day – unless I get a burst of energy and pile two on one day, but if I tried posting them all at once,... let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty.

I did come up with a new modus operandi, however. In the spirit of a marathon – which is what I’ve historically called this period – I made all my decisions early, then shopped for everything at once; and Monday, spent the entire day in Kitchen Goddess mode, cooking, taking notes, and photographing the resulting splendor. Sixty-two photos in all, in case you’re wondering – though many of the same dish at a slightly different angle or with a change of scene. The Kitchen Goddess focus was intense, and, in a show of great wisdom and insight into his wife’s personality, her hubby found a way to stay out of the house for most of the day.

Toward the end, looking around at the various finished dishes, I realized how many days it would take the two of us to eat what I had cooked, and how unprepared I was to store it all. So I called several friends and invited them to drop by with plastic containers to take away parts of whatever they thought looked good. One couple – at my invitation – actually brought grilled chicken and joined us in an impromptu pre-Thanksgiving dinner. What a day! I went to bed a good two hours early.

* * *

So here we are with the first dish, which probably looks complicated, but is not. In fact, none of this year’s dishes are complicated in the way that the KG often adores. Also, they all have elements that can be done ahead of time, and none are ridiculously butter- and cream-filled – hence the “light side” of the title. (There’s butter in one, but really, remember it’s Thanksgiving.)

I had a number of clues that this recipe would be a winner. First, the original author is the famous  Israeli-English chef, restaurant owner, and food writer, Yotam Ottenghi. Second, it was picked up by the Food52 website among their Genius Recipes, which they call “foolproof” –  passed down from cookbook authors, chefs, and bloggers who “rethink cooking tropes, solve problems, get us talking, and make cooking more fun.” And finally, in my research, I ran across it on the Williams-Sonoma website. What better evidence could you want?

What really made this easy is that – for the first time ever – I didn’t have to peel the squash. It worked so well that I am now done with that in my life. I also loved the combination of crispy skin with soft squash, the bit of heat paired with the cool yogurt, and the perky cilantro sauce. It’s a real treat for the senses. And you don’t have to serve it hot – it’s great at room temp.

Please note that I’ve included a postscript of what you can do ahead and substitutions you can make.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Squash With Chile Yogurt and Cilantro Sauce

Adapted from Kristen Miglore at Food52

Serves 8.

Ingredients
For the squash – 
1 large (3-pound) butternut squash
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the cilantro sauce –
1 small bunch (50 grams, or 1.75 ounces) cilantro, leaves and stems, plus extra leaves for garnish
1 small clove garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the yogurt sauce –
1 cup (200 grams or 7 ounces) Greek yogurt (full-fat, low-fat, or no-fat)
1½  teaspoons Sriracha or other savory chile sauce (I used Momofuku Ssäm sauce)
Water as desired

Garnish: 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (shelled), toasted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425º.

Rinse the squash skin well and trim off the ends. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and discard the seeds. Cut the squash into half-moons about ¾-inch wide, then cut the larger half-moons into wedges about 3 inches long, leaving the skin on.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the squash pieces with the cinnamon, the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the salt, and 5-6 grinds of pepper. Mix well to coat the squash evenly with the oil and spices. Place the pieces on an uncoated sheet pan, skin side down whenever possible, to promote a tasty crispness. Roast 35-40 minutes, until the squash is soft and the edges darken. (Like people, some pieces will refuse to follow orders and will fall over. That’s okay.) Remove the squash from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the cilantro sauce, combine the herbs with the garlic and oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse – periodically scraping down the sides – until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

For the yogurt sauce, stir in the chile sauce to combine well.[Kitchen Goddess note: Some yogurts are thicker than others. You may want to add water a tablespoon at a time to adjust the thickness of the sauce to your liking. I added 2 tablespoons, to get it thin enough to spoon loosely over the squash.]

Roast the pumpkin/sunflower seeds on a baking sheet in a 350º oven for 6-8 minutes, or in a skillet for 5-6 minutes on medium-high (stirring often – it’s easy to burn them this way).

Presentation
When you are ready to serve, scatter the squash pieces on a platter and spoon dollops of the yogurt sauce on top. Drizzle the cilantro sauce on top as well. (Williams-Sonoma suggested that you swirl together the yogurt sauce and the cilantro paste, but the Kitchen Goddess likes the look of the separate colors.) Scatter the pumpkin seeds on top, add a few extra cilantro leaves for accent, and serve.


Kitchen Goddess P.S. – 
What you can do ahead:
1. Cook the squash. Bring it to room temperature before adding the toppings.
2. Stir together the yogurt and chile sauce.
3. Make the cilantro sauce.
4. Toast the sunflower/pumpkin seeds.

Possible substitutions (not tried by the Kitchen Goddess):
■ Acorn squash for the butternut
■ Other herbs (mint or parsley or tarragon, or a mix) instead of cilantro
■ Light sour cream instead of yogurt