Morning Glory's Farm Food: Stories from the Fields, Recipes from the Kitchen by Gabrielle Redner, a cookbook I recently received to review, is more than just a cookbook. Sure, it has recipes, but it's also filled with information and stories about the Martha's Vineyard farm, the farmers, the crops they grow, and even other farms on the island. For someone who cares about farms and farmers' markets, as I do, the book sends a great message about getting to know your food and where it comes from. It's all about respecting vegetables and taking the time to notice how much better local food tastes.
Chapters focus on single subjects from asparagus to corn to root vegetables, and there are even sections on farm meats and fruits like strawberries and peaches. So many of the produce-laden recipes caught my eye, like roasted corn, sweet onion, and herb polenta; arugula and farro warm salad; and warm green bean salad with feta, olives, almonds, and lemon-oregano vinaigrette. I love the simplicity of all the recipes.
Since we're in mid-fall here in New England and my farmers' market is starting to feature awesome fall produce like winter squash, I was especially drawn to those recipes. I finally decided to try the roasted acorn squash with cranberry butter first. After a trip to my local farmers' market to pick up the necessary ingredients, I headed into the kitchen.
The recipe was easy, but it wasn't perfect. I found that my squash took almost twice as long to cook as the time listed in the recipe. But I really liked the idea of the recipe (roasted squash with a tart, tangy cranberry butter), so I made some tweaks to it and made it work: I added in a butternut squash instead of using two acorn squashes, for variety. I left out the nutmeg and hot sauce called for in the original because I'm not a fan of either. I added in the number of pulses it took me to break down the cranberries and mix in the other ingredients for guidance. And I adjusted the roasting time so the squash wouldn't be undercooked (I also covered it briefly to ensure that it softened).
This recipe for roasted winter squash with cranberry-sage butter is one of those that's so simple that you just know each element was deliberately chosen and is going to shine in the end. You get wonderful nutty squash flavors mingling with the tartness of the cranberries. That tartness is cut with the rich butter, and the flavors are balanced with the intense, herby sage and just a hint of bright, citrusy orange.
This roasted squash makes a great afternoon lunch, a simple fall dinner side, or even a side fit for the Thanksgiving table. I can't wait to try some of the other recipes from Morning Glory's Farm Food with the great produce I find at the farmers' market.
Roasted Winter Squash With Cranberry-Sage Butter
(adapted from Morning Glory's Farm Food: Stories from the Fields, Recipes from the Kitchen)
(adapted from Morning Glory's Farm Food: Stories from the Fields, Recipes from the Kitchen)
Acorn and butternut squashes roasted with a tart, herby
cranberry-sage butter make a perfect fall side.
cranberry-sage butter make a perfect fall side.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 acorn squash, halved and scooped out
1 small butternut squash, halved and scooped out
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set squashes in shallow baking dish and pour water in dish to come about halfway up sides of squash. (You can also add the water after placing the dish in the oven if you’re nervous about transporting it with water in it.)
Pulse cranberries in food processor until they start to break up, about 8 pulses. Add butter, sage, salt, pepper, and orange zest and continue to pulse until incorporated, about 10 pulses.
Spoon butter into squash cavities. (You’ll fit more in the acorn squash but don’t be afraid to pack it into the butternut squash too.)
Roast squash until cut surface is golden brown and caramelized and squash feels soft around outside, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, rotating dish halfway through roasting. (I covered the squashes with foil for about 15 minutes after an hour of roasting to help them soften.)
Carefully transfer squash to serving dish. Using pastry brush, brush butter on tops of squash to coat.
Serve. (I recommend halving the squash halves so everyone gets a quarter of each kind.)
What is your favorite way to cook winter squash?
I received a review copy of Morning Glory's Farm Food. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links to the cookbook in this post. If you click on the links to purchase the book or make other purchases, I'll earn a few cents.
