In the Kitchen: Zesty Squash with lemon butter

I can’t imagine some seasons without certain foods.

I remember feeling the cool temperatures of fall as a child and hoping this was the signal that I could soon barrel through golden and auburn piles of leaves. Ideally these leaves would be under great, big apple trees as I went apple picking in the orchards upstate. On the other hand, summer always has and always will be represented by the sticky sweetness of fresh watermelon, straight out of the refrigerator.

Similarly, I associate pumpkin and squash with fall and winter. I spend much of my time in a season less climate now so the typical foods of the season are confusing. But it is fall in many places and I love squash so now is as good a time as any to share this recipe. It is based off this recipe for squash with spiced butter. I found all of the spices slightly strange with the squash. But I loved the unexpected tang of lemon and the crunch of pomegrante seeds with squash. It made a fall dish taste a bit more of summer putting a little twist on the taste of the season.

Make the most of the produce of the season but also make something because it is unexpected and delicious!

Table of Contents

Zesty Squash with lemon butter

Ingredients:

Spiced butter

– 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (nix out butter for half the amount of olive oil and cut down the fat!)

– 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

– 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

– Kosher salt

Squash

– 4 pounds assorted small winter squash (such as acorn, kabocha, or delicata)

– Kosher salt

– 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

– 1 Tbsp of olive oil

-3/4 cups pomegranate seeds

Lemon butter

Mix lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter in a small bowl until lemon juice is incorporated. Season with salt. Cover; keep in a cool place. This can be made several days in advance.

Squash

Preheat oven to 400F.
Trim ends of squash and cut in half. Remove seeds and stringy innards.
Put squash in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 35-45 minutes (this depends on the size of your squash) until golden and tender.
Remove from oven, cool, and cut squash into 2 inch cubes.
Simmer hot water in pot to measure 3/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in spiced butter, 1 tablespoonful at a time, to form a rich, glossy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle spiced butter over squash. Top with pomegranate seeds.

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MizzJ December 19, 2012 at 02:20

An interesting mix of flavours here! Do you think the pomegranate is necessary in this recipe? I find them too tart personally.

Chic 'n Cheap Living December 19, 2012 at 07:01

I thought it would be weird with the pomegrante seeds, but liked the contrast with the squash. The squash is also sweet so that balanced out the seeds as well!

Debby December 19, 2012 at 07:34

Oh, I am so glad I caught this before I went to the grocery store! I’m always looking for new recipes and this sounds amazing. Your site looks great. Were you on Blogger before? I’m thinking of making the move to WordPress but wondering how much of a pain it would be! xo

Chic 'n Cheap Living December 19, 2012 at 10:48

Yes I was on Blogger before but vowed to search when Blogger temporarily deleted my blog for no reason. No thank you!
Thanks for the sweet comments on the blog design. I have a semi-home made theme. Yes I had to do a few things to make sure everything transferred over but it wasn’t too bad. Let me know if I can direct you to themes or blogger to wordpress transfer tutorials if you make the switch!

Cafe Fashionista December 19, 2012 at 07:44

Ohmigosh this looks beyond incredible! Why have I never had squash before?! 🙂

Sam December 19, 2012 at 08:14

Thanks so much for this great idea…I always take the boring route with cinnamon and cream when it comes to squash (is it a lot like butternut?) but these flavors are very intriguing and it seems so flavorful. Hope I can locate some pomegranate seeds.