After months of tomatoes and zucchini, I’m ready for winter squash. Kabocha is my favorite, but butternut squash is much easier to hack into and to peel. I like to roast thick slices until they’re caramelized and then balance the sweetness with something tart and tangy. Feta to the rescue, along with pomegranate seeds, pepitas, Aleppo pepper and yogurt. Creamy and crunchy, warm and cool, sweet and tart. It’s all there in this autumn side dish. Add a roast chicken or a bulgur pilaf and dinner’s ready.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Feta, Pomegranates and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Choose a squash with a long neck as that’s the part you will use. I think the dish is best when the squash is hot or warm, so try to have all the other ingredients ready when the squash comes out of the oven. Adapted from Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner by Janet Fletcher (Ten Speed Press).
2 to 2-1/2 pound butternut squash
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 ounces feta
¼ cup pomegranate arils
2 tablespoons roasted and salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Ground Aleppo pepper, to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a cleaver or heavy chef’s knife, slice off the stem end of the squash. Cut the squash crosswise at the point where the straight neck connects to the bulbous base, where the seed cavity is. Reserve the base for soup or another use.
Set the neck on a work surface, stem end up, and peel with a cleaver or chef’s knife by slicing from top to bottom all the way around the squash. (You may want to cut the neck in half crosswise first so it’s more stable.) Remove all traces of skin and any greenish flesh under the skin. Cut the pared neck in half lengthwise, then slice each half into half-moons, each about 1/2 inch wide. Put the sliced squash in a bowl and add enough olive oil to coat the slices lightly. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat the squash with the oil and distribute the seasonings. Arrange the squash slices on the baking sheet. Bake until tender and beginning to caramelize on the bottom, 35 to 40 minutes.
Spread the yogurt on a serving platter. With a spatula, carefully transfer the squash slices to the platter, flipping them so the caramelized bottom side is up. Crumble feta over the squash, then scatter the pomegranate arils, pumpkin seeds, Aleppo pepper and cilantro over the top.
Serves 4
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