Spicy Butternut Squash |Cooking With Amanda

Last week, I was at our local gourmet grocery store. There's always someone standing near the front door trying to get you to taste something. That day they were serving roasted butternut squash with kale and red onion.

The staff person explained to me the required ingredients included their brand of Tuscan spice mix and pumpkin seed oil. Oh, and they were also trying to sell me their pre-cut butternut squash packs. I never buy pre-cut, even if the whole one is a big pain to chop. I think its cleaner to buy whole. I also don't always know how soon I'm going to use it up and would not want it to go to waste. On the other hand, uncut winter squashes can sit on your countertop for weeks with no problem.

As I was sampling their recipe, I thought that it was very reminiscent of many curried Indian vegetable dishes. I tasted nothing Tuscan about it.

Taking a closer look at the Tuscan spice mix jar, I was even more confused. Black pepper, chili pepper, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, … the ingredients were clearly all components of garam masala with some fenugreek, turmeric, sugar and mustard powder. Basically, it was everything in my Indian spice cabinet. Well no wonder it tasted Indian to me! Where was the rosemary, thyme, basil or garlic and all the other "Tuscan" flavors?

I didn't care though. This blend tasted great and I knew I could replicate it. As I walked away (without purchasing the spice mix), I thought to myself, what a great side dish for vegetarian Indian Thanksgiving dinner! It would be perfect with my biryani dish too. So I picked up a large butternut squash to do some experimenting.

I skipped the spice mix because I already have all the ingredients and didn't need yet another spice jar in my cabinet. I believe working with whole spices makes all the difference. Besides, you want everyone to know how much you slaved over your Thanksgiving meal right?

I'm kidding, but I do believe it's more aromatic and tastes better. It's a long list of spices but totally worth it and easy if you already have them.

So what were my results? I'd say, even better than what I had test tasted at the grocery store. This recipe has stronger flavors and has just enough heat to add a little kick!

Don't forget to kick off your Indian Thanksgiving with something else a little spicy - my spicy roasted chickpeas recipe!

Print Save

Spicy Butternut Squash Recipe

Embed

Ingredients

5 green cardamom pods
2 teaspoons coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek
1/2 whole nutmeg, grated
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
pinch of turmeric
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
40 ounces butternut squash, chopped
1 1/2 red onions, chopped
5 ounces kale, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Over low heat, dry roast the coriander, cardamom pods, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, fenugreek and cloves for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, and let them cool completely.
Using a spice grinder, grind them into a fine powder.
Mix in the nutmeg, mustard powder, turmeric, sugar, cayenne, and salt.
In a large bowl combine the squash, onions and 2 Tablespoons of oil, 2 Tablespoons of the spice mix and toss until everything is coated.
Lay out the squash and onions on a large parchment lined sheet pan. Roast it in the oven for about 40 minutes.
While it is roasting, massage the kale with ½ Tablespoon of oil and ½ Tablespoon of the spice mix and set it aside until the squash is done.
Keeping the oven on, remove the squash tray and add the kale to the tray, carefully mixing.
Roast together for another 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.