by melissav
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by Sarah Shatz
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by melissav
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by Sarah Shatz
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by melissav
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by melissav
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Expand1/4 cup sage, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
4-5 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 clove garlic, smashed Ask a question about this ingredient
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup + 2 TB ricotta salata, crumbled or chopped until a medium fine crumble Ask a question about this ingredient
2 butternut squashes [about 3.5 lbs total when unpeeled] Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne, depending on taste Ask a question about this ingredient
Preheat the oven to 500 and place a rack in the lowest slot in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Ask a question about this stepPeel the butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut each squash half in half widthwise, right where the slender part curves out to the bulge. Cut each quarter into about 1 inch wedges (see picture) and place in a bowl.
Ask a question about this stepToss squash with olive oil, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Place in a single layer on baking sheet.
Ask a question about this stepRoast for 10-15 minutes until caramelized. Remove from oven and flip over. Bake another 10-15 minutes until caramelized on the other side and cooked through. The pieces on the edges of the baking sheet will caramelize first so you want to move around during the baking time.
Ask a question about this stepWhile the squash is roasting, make the pesto: (1) warm 3 TB olive oil, sage, and garlic in a small pan over very low heat just until the oil bubbles. Pour in a small bowl, reserving the garlic clove. (2) Place the toasted hazelnuts in mini food processor along with the garlic clove and process until a fine crumble and add to the bowl (alternatively, you can do by hand or in a mortar and pestle). (3) add the cheese to the bowl along with 1-2 TB more olive oil and stir until combined and salt to taste. This is not a traditional pesto - more nutty than herby and not so much oil.
Ask a question about this stepOnce the squash is roasted, place in a large bowl and toss with pesto to taste. Dig in.
Ask a question about this stepAfter you warm the garlic with the sage and oil, you put the sage and oil in a bowl. You reserve the garlic clove because you add it to the processor with the nuts. I hope this helps.
You warm the garlic clove with the sage and oil. Once warmed, you put the sage and oil in a bowl. You reserve the garlic clove after it is warmed because you will be adding it to the processor with the nuts in the next step. Hope this helps.
I made this for Thanksgiving, and my husband declared it the star of the meal! I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to try it! What a fabulous combination of flavors and textures...I'll be making this again and again.
So glad this got re-highlighted on the site. I made it last year, it was super awesome, and then I promptly forgot about it. Can't wait to make it again!
I made this last winter and it was so amazingly good that my sister still mentions it. It's all we ate for dinner that night. Now that Thanksgiving approaches, it's at the top of my list! so good and so easy!
Wow. Wow. Wow.
This just earned a much desired spot on a very competitive T-day table. You are a genius.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
This just earned a much desired spot on a very competitive T-day table. You are a genius.
Did you know that this recipe makes the most delicious soup ever? Last night I puréed the roasted squash with chicken stock, and it was fab.
Great idea. Did you top it with some of the pesto or blend the pesto into the soup?
Great idea. Did you puree the pesto with the soup or use it as a topping? I'm going to give this idea a whirl . . .
@melissav, I've made it into soup twice. The first time, I topped it with the pesto. The second time, I didn't have the ingredients for the pesto so I put a blob of Greek yoghurt and some bacon crumbles on top. Fab both times!
LOVED this dish! Served it over a garlic couscous. Will be making it again very soon! Thank you for posting this (I got it from Whole Foods' page yesterday).
what a wonderful recipe! this is probably the most delicious butternut squash i've ever had. thanks so much for sharing :)
I have an obsession for butternut squash ravioli, but I'm usually disappointed by its blandness. So I did an "inside out" version, dumping this whole dish into a big bowl of linguini. Big flavour at last - worked great!
If you baked it at lower heat as I did for my Spicy Butternut Salad it would caramelize better and not burn (as it appears from your picture yours did). I have been making my version a year before the contest and it is perfect every time! It looks like Sara Schatz styled yours after my photo.
I made this last night with some Butternut squash from our CSA and it was FABULOUS!! It was one of the best squash recipes I have ever tried. I will definitely make it again as we have an over abundance of butternut squash in our root cellar.
I made this a while back and loved it and just made it again this past weekend for a dinner party and I just wanted to mention again how delicious this combination is. The flavors really balance each other. Really delicious!
This was a spectacular holiday treat! Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe caught my eye and I could not wait to try it. I made it without the pesto and added it to my beef stew. Absolutely fabulous!
It's crunch time now, and I'm making this for a shindig on Tuesday night. Is there any special trick to toasting the hazelnuts? Temperature? Time? Thanks and holiday wishes to all!
You can toast them a number of different ways - You can put a small fry pan over low heat and dump in the nuts and stir them from time to time until they start to smell and look toasty. You can also do the same in the oven or toaster over at 325. I'd check on them after 3-5 minutes.
Made it for a Hanukkah party last weekend. Could not find hazelnuts or ricotta salata and substituted filberts and gorgonzola. Was delish, although I'm sure the original is better. Was the perfect dish to bring and serve at room temperature. The touch of cayenne was brilliant.
Without any hyperbole, I must say that this is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Very simple as well and you really can do it with a mortar and pestle, which makes it nice and chunky. Only think I didn't get quite right was that my bnut squash didn't hold its nice moon shapes....although I may have overcrowded the baking sheets a bit. Thanks so much for such a GREAT recipe!
I made this as well. The touch of cayenne pepper gave a wonderful afterheat, and the pesto was so good that I am thinking of trying it on pasta, and using it to flavor a quiche.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was divine! The sage pulled it together beautifully with the rest of the meal.
I made this for Thanksgiving, and it was the hit of the table! So delicious. Unfortunately all the leftovers got snapped up before I had a chance to set some aside. I'll be making this again soon.
We couldn't find ricotta salata so subbed it for cotija, which I think worked well.
Made a double recipe for ~16 people for a side and we had MORE than enough. Then again it was one of 10 sides. This was delicious and really did travel well (my cake on the other hand, not so much).
Thanks!
This was fantastic!!! Made it last night and ignored everything else on my plate. Only problem, my family didn't eat it - squash phobia - so I will need a new family.
Does this really serve only FOUR people as a side dish? Seems to me that 3 1/2 pounds of squash would be enough for at least double that. I'm planning to make this and take it to a potluck for 20 people, where it will be one among three or four other side dishes, so I'm guessing that each person will take one or two pieces.... Any idea as to quantities? Should I double the recipe? Triple it? HELP!
My husband and I can finish off one butternut squash by ourselves but we typically eat it as the sole side to a light dinner (like a piece of fish). At a potluck with 3-4 other side dishes, you can probably figure on four or five people per squash since as you mention each person will only take a slice or two. I think if you double it, you will have more than enough.
Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to making this... and tasting it! :))
Would I be amiss if I roasted the squash with eggplant, sweet potatoes, and red bell peppers? I think all of them would benefit from a little toss in the Sage Pesto. Call me a renegade, but I am going to try it!
My husband said this was the best butternut squash EVER. Thanks for a delicious recipe.
Made this last night - seriously delicious! I don't usually like ricotta salata, I think because I've bought the harder kind in the past. This time I had a soft one and the pesto was terrific. Thanks.
Totally making this for Thanksgiving dinner. Cannot wait to try it (and impress the family!).
Thank you! I just made this as a little appetizer for dinner and it is so amazing.
I plan on making this-- it looks amazing! Unfortunately I don't have access to ricotta salata. Would there be another cheese that'd work well in its place?
Another recipe I've seen that uses ricotta salata suggests either French feta, pecorino romano, or cotija. For this recipe i think the pecorino would be too hard, but the cotija or feta would work well.
Congratulations! This is a fabulous looking dish, I plan on making it for a dinner party this weekend. - S
Thank you everyone. So glad everyone is enjoying this recipe. By the way, we had some of the pesto on some thick cut pork chops last night and it was muy bueno!
Great recipe, congrats!
Best congratulations for a well-deserved winner!!
Congrats! it's a wonderful recipe!
Fabulous recipe. Congrats.
Congrats melissav!! I can't wait to make this.
Congratulations! It's really delicious!
i tried this the other night and it was spectacular. i ended up substituting fresh roasted chestnuts for the hazelnuts and was over the moon with the results. i plan on using the pesto with homemade butternut squash ravioli as a first course for thanksgiving.
This was great! Made it tonight for dinner and I will definitely be making it again soon. I didn't have ricotta salata so I used goat cheese instead. Congrats on being a finalist! Well deserved.
This dish is superb. It's like nothing I have ever had before and I mean that in the best sort of way. Two lovely people you & I both know (think Fairway) made this as a side dish when they hosted my husband and I for dinner this past weekend. I was impressed by how something as plain as butternush squash could be transformed into such devine yumminess. I loved it so much I was talking about it the next day. Kudos to you for coming up with a great recipe!
Thanks for your kind words and glad you enjoyed dinner with Adam and Leslie.
Wow, this sounds so good. I think this will be part of our Thanksgiving feast.
Oh my, this is divine! Has anyone tried freezing the pesto? What do you think, good idea or not?
So glad you liked it. I haven't tried freezing the pesto so I am not sure how it would hold up; perhaps it would be best if you freezed it without cheese? Let me know how it turns out if you freeze it.
What a wonderful dish! I love the flavor combination. And I can attest to the fact that the pesto is very good with fish, too.
Thank you. I am planning on whipping up another batch to tomorrow to serve with some pork chops.
I Love the addition of the ricotta salata. Butternut squash is a fall favorite in my kitchen, and it can only get better with this awesome recipe. Way to go melissav!!
OMG... This was incredible! I made this tonight and it was fabulous. Everyone was eating the crumbs and went home with the receipe. I gave you all the credit!
Question: Although I still have sage growing in my herb box outside, I'm not a big fan of it. Do you think another herb would work as well. I know sage goes w/ butternut sq., but... Marjoram? I still have that and garlic chives growing. Any suggestions anyone?
I haven't tried it without any other herbs but I am sure it would work with any other hearty herb that pairs well with butternut squash. If you try a different herb, please do let me know how it turns out.
Thanks Monkey Mom! You're pretty studly yourself! Your eggplant is due for another appearance on our table soon.
This sounds really awesome. My mouth watered reading the description. I wish I had a wood-burning oven to try it in.
A wood burning stove would awesome with this. Wish I had one too. . .
This looks amazing. I've had spiced butternut wedges before and bet with your pesto this is out of this world. Congrats on being a finalist!
What a great recipe -- squash wedges are such a great idea (I do cubes but hate how they disappear into nothing...) & pesto looks wonderful...
I agree with the cubes. . . it is a fine line between perfect and too mushy. Hope you try it.
I am looking forward to trying your version...my salad started with the same ingredients; sliced butternut, olive oil, sugar and cayenne. Our cooking times are very different. I am going to try your hot and quick cooking time versus my slower carmelizing of the squash.
Definitely a contender for my Thanksgiving menu. Way to go melissav.
YUM, this sounds really wonderful. Congrats on being a finalist!
Congrats on being a finalist. I love hazelnuts, and the idea of a pesto made with them sounds seriously yummy. Hope to try this dish soon.
This recipe looks great! I'm definitely going to try it out. Congrats on being a finalist!
Sounds absolutely wonderful! Vegetable or hot appetizer! Can't wait.
Congrats on being a finalist! So many amazing recipes last week to sort through, this must have been really interesting for the editors. Love the pesto twist.
Hope you try it, Sagegreen. I always find your recipes very interesting and creative!
This looks like it can easily be doubled. I like that at room temperature it's still really good. This will free up some oven space on the Bird Day!
Wow, this looks really good! It's gonna be a tasty Thanksgiving. Congrats on the EP and on being a finalist. The pesto would be great over pasta, too, I think!
Oh my, my! In the jockeying for oven time on Thanksgiving, I am not sure I can a 500 degree oven in place for this. How does it do if I caramelize the squash before hand and reheat it in a more moderate oven just before service?
I think it would be fine. I actually really liked it at room temp as well.
I had a sneaking suspicion this one would be in the finals. In fact I already made it and love it and give it a vote of approval fo sho. I like the pesto a lot.
Thanks, Tom. That means a lot coming from you! The pesto is good, isn't it? We ate the leftover on top of some fish the next night and really enjoyed it and, in the interest of full disclosure, I actually ate a lot of it right out of the bowl!
Shuna is a pastry chef in New York City and author of the acclaimed blog Eggbeater.
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A simple array: fresh sage, hazelnuts, garlic, butternut squash, ricotta salata and cayenne.
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One of several tortured faces brought about by the slicing of the butternut squash. So worth it.
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We cut the squash into chunky, 1-inch wedges, per melissav's instructions.
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The pesto ingredients.
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Amanda starts the pesto by measuring some olive oil into a pan.
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Chopped sage (you want it somewhat fine, as it won't get chopped further).
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Sage, oil and garlic warm on the stove until just bubbling.
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Meanwhile, the butternut squash wedges get a hit of cayenne. The level of heat is up to you -- we went with the full 1/2 teaspoon and found it perfect.
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Make sure to spread the wedges out on the baking sheet so they caramelize nicely. A layer of parchment keeps them from sticking and makes cleanup a snap.
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Once the hazelnuts are toasted (we put them in the heating oven for about 7 minutes), it's easy to roll off their skins.
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The garlic from the pesto and the hazelnuts have a date with the food processor. Pulse just until it looks like coarse crumbs -- if you too far, you'll get hazelnut butter!
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We gently folded the nuts with the sage and olive oil from the pan, then added the ricotta salata and more oil to thin the mixture to the right consistency. You want a thick, but not solid, pesto.
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After about 25 minutes in the oven, the squash is almost like candy.
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I am confused about the garlic in the ingredients and recipe. It calls for 1 clove of garlic. It says to mix the garlic with olive oil and sage, and to reserve 1 clove of garlic? I don't understand - 1 clove or 2? I went to the question section first but none them appeared to have been answered. Help us out, please!
Thank you.