fall squash – Well Dined

I get a lot of emails with recipes from blog subscriptions, magazines, etc… Some I delete, knowing they aren’t my style. Most I archive to make later. Very few inspire me to make them ASAP; this recipe was one of those few. Shakshuka is a dish of Egyptian, Tunisian, Algerian, and Moroccan origin that consists of eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce.

This recipe, from Bessou restaurant in NYC (via Tasting Table), puts a Japanese spin on the dish. It was that fusion element that caught my eye. The tomato sauce is spiced with Japanese curry powder and cumin. Roasted kabocha squash is added, along with poached eggs. The original is topped with miso marinated tofu – I went for miso flavored labneh, instead. Lastly, it is sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, and served with toasted Japanese milk bread.

The tomato sauce is so fragrant and spicy (the original recipe uses harissa, too, but the curry powder was enough heat for me). It is counterbalanced by the sweet squash, tart pomegranate seeds, cool labneh, and creamy egg yolk. The squash and the pomegranate add varying texture, too, along with the crispy toast. And the miso adds this funky umami note that adds to the complexity. Dipping that perfectly crispy toast into the runny yolk and velvety tomato sauce is just so insanely satisfying. (more…)

I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but warm quinoa salads are kind of the go-to for my friend, Melissa, and I (like this one, and this one, and this one). So when we didn’t really have a lunch plan a couple of weeks ago, we decided to throw some her CSA veg into, you guessed it, a warm quinoa salad. I would apologize for the repetition, but these salads are healthy and filling and delicious, so I’m not sorry!

This time around, Melissa was drowning in fall squash. So we diced up a butternut and threw it in the oven with a sliced onion.

Meanwhile, we cooked up our pretty tri-color quinoa and tossed in some toasted pine nuts. You could easily sub walnuts or pecans instead.

In went the roasted veg and some arugula, along with some fresh thyme. Again, you could easily sub another type of green (I do love peppery arugula, though) and whatever herbs you have on hand.

Lastly, and certainly not least, we added in some goat cheese. We both seriously love goat cheese. We mixed half of the cheese into the salad to get it melty, and crumbled the rest on top so there would be nice pockets of it.

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese
original recipe, click here for Melissa’s post
serves 4

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small onion, sliced in half-moons
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups baby arugula
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the squash and onion in olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper.

Spread the veggies in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet covered in foil. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning the veggies over halfway through. When the squash is tender, remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until the water is absorbed and the curlicues pop out. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the pine nuts, roasted veggies, thyme, arugula, and half the goat cheese into the quinoa; crumble the rest of the cheese over top. Serve warm.

Well Dined

Tag: fall squash

Japanese Shakshuka with Kabocha Squash

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese