Lemme have a piece of that

By admin on June 1st, 2009

It isn’t that the Omnivore dislikes squash.  Don’t tell him, but…he actually likes it, a lot.  And he eats it more frequently than he realizes.  Lucky for me, he reads this blog far less frequently than he eats squash, so he’ll probably have downed 6 or 8 more helpings of this (hated) vegetable before my secret is out.

Squash is just a nasty-sounding word.  That’s all.  So, I try to avoid saying it when it is on the menu to be eaten.  Just the other night, I was chopping up butternut squash for the recipe posted below, and the Omnivore swaggered through the kitchen, eyed the chopping block, and said, “Lemme have a piece of that.”

I gave him the side-eye.  First, it is squash.  It is raw.  He hates the word squash.  It isn’t meant to be eaten raw.  Dare I spill the beans and say, “No!  It is raw squash!” Dare I risk him hating dinner because I let him try this starchy, hard, and bitter raw pumpkin?

I quickly turned my body in front of the cutting board to deflect his interest.

But he persisted.  And so I said, “Omni – it would be like eating a raw potato.  I don’t think you’d like it.”

With that comment, delight filled his eyes, “I love raw potatoes!” he squealed as he faster-than-lightening snatched a cube from my cutting board, and took a bite.

And then he said, “Mmm.  Can I have another?”

And at that very moment, I knew if he liked this squash raw, the recipe was going to be a winner when I actually got around to cooking the stuff.

Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad (4 servings; adapted from SK, who adapted from other sources)

Salad
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1 1/2 cups chickpeas
1/4 of a medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Dressing
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
4 tablespoons water

Combine olive oil, allspice, and minced garlic, and salt with cubed squash.  Roast squash pieces at 425* until fork tender, stirring the squash 2-3 times during the 30 minute cooking period.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine chickpeas and chopped parsley in a large serving bowl bowl.

Make tahini dressing in a separate bowl.  Add squash to chickpeas.

Combine half the portion of the dressing with chickpea mixture and reserve remaining dressing for heavier tastes.