Thursday, November 5, 2015

Kabocha Squash in Pipian Verde

A lot has been written about our industrialized food system, why it needs to be changed, and the damages caused by it. The related environmental and health issues have been exposed repeatedly. But, a new book I just read also highlighted the cultural effects of the current food system. In Decolonize Your Diet by Luz Calvo and Catriona Rueda Esquibel, they describe how “the production of food in the early twenty-first century is wholly alienated not only from the way we live…but from our own cultural histories and traditional food ways.” Their book, of which I received a review copy, encourages a look back at traditional ingredients and ways of preparing meals from Mexican and Central American cuisine. It also focuses on very healthful, plant-based dishes using unrefined, unprocessed ingredients. I couldn’t wait to try a few recipes. The Vampiro Beet and Carrot Salad sounds fresh and pretty with grated vegetables, orange and lime juices, and jalapeno. The Purepecha Bean Soup is made with Flor de Mayo or pinto beans and dried chiles and is topped with crispy corn tortilla strips and diced avocado. As soon as red cabbage shows up in our CSA box, I’ll be making the Sweet Potato Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw. And, I really want to try making homemade Mesquite Corn Tortillas with a mix of masa and mesquite flour. But first, the Kabocha Squash in Pipian Verde dish was calling my name. I sauntered off to our Wednesday farmers’ market hoping to find some sort of small winter squash to use for this without worrying too much about it being a Kabocha. Despite my open-mindedness, I actually found the lovliest, red Kabocha ready and waiting for me that day. This dish was meant to be. 

There are plenty of ways to start this in advance. Four poblano chiles were roasted, skinned, seeded, and chopped, and those could be prepped and refrigerated until ready to make the sauce. I roasted them directly on top of a burner and turned them as they charred. The squash was cut into wedges and roasted in the oven with a coating of olive oil and sprinkling of salt and pepper. This could be done in advance, and the squash wedges can be reheated when you’re ready to serve. The next step in making the sauce was to broil a quartered white onion, 10 tomatillos with husks removed, a few unpeeled garlic cloves, and I added a couple of serrano chiles. Next, a cup of raw, hulled pumpkin seeds were toasted in a dry pan on top of the stove. Those toasted pepitas along with two cups of water were then pulsed in a blender. Next, the roasted onion, the peeled garlic, the chopped poblanos, my additional serranos, and some oregano, cilantro, epazote, parsley, and a pinch of anise seeds were to be added to the blender. This was way too much for my blender, and I pureed all of this in two batches. Salt was added to taste, and then the purred sauce was transferred to a large saucepan and simmered for about 15 minutes. The simmering really brought the flavors together. To serve, the roasted squash wedges were set in a pool of sauce and garnished with cilantro leaves and more toasted pepitas. 

This recipe made a lot of sauce which is a good thing. I’m happy to have some stored in the freezer to use on enchiladas someday soon. And, it was delightfully tangy, spicy, and, herby with the squash. I’d never paired squash with these flavors before, and I’m so glad to have been introduced to the idea. There are several more ideas in the book I’ll be trying too. 

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14 comments:

  1. I love the look of this dish with the vibrant colour. It's always handy to have too much sauce than too little. The book sounds really interesting - certainly in the 21st Century we haven't eaten as well as we could have xx

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  2. I guess a lot of sauce is good thing especially when the sauce sounds so good :D

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  3. Oh, that is an awesome combination! I'll have to try it next time I make roasted kabocha squash.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. mmm...that green sauce sounds just heavenly. Great flavour, Lisa!

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  5. Wow, love how you made the squash the star of the show, looks amazing!!!

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  6. kabocha squash is one of my favorites--it has such a fantastic flavor! love this whole dish, lisa, and the book and idea behind it!

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  7. fantastic color contrast! I made chicken in pipian sauce a couple of years ago (IIRC) and loved the sauce so much I was eating it by the spoonful... ;-)

    this is a superb recipe, Lisa! Pinning it...

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  8. What a terrific looking dish! The book sounds really interesting, too. Intrigued by the idea of Sweet Potato Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw -- sounds like such a winner!

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  9. That sauce looks wonderful, Lisa. I had to look up epazote...had never heard of it...or seen it. Was surprised to discover it's a tea. With anise overtones, which certainly explains the use of anise in the sauce. Will look (or ask) for it at Whole Foods next trip. The roasted squash shines, so simply made.

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  10. Sounds like how we like to eat! It looks like there is no shortage of flavours or colours with this too! :D

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  11. This look beautiful and delicious Lisa :)

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  12. This look beautiful and delicious Lisa :)

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  13. Kabocha is probably my favorite hard squash. This dish showcases it so well, too. And lucky you to now have that delicious stash of sauce for the future.

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