I don’t know what it is about January and February, but I always find myself tinkering more in the kitchen this time of year, trying new healthy recipes. Maybe it’s the cold winter nights, maybe it’s the promise of spring and new things on the horizon, or maybe it’s just because I love the idea of trying something that shakes up my routine. In any case, I find that there’s nothing better come Saturday night than an old jazz record, a beautiful cocktail, and a crisp apron as I go about trying something new.
One such evening produced this lovely recipe for butternut squash steaks. Like my cabbage steaks, this dish is warm, hearty, and healthy—for you and the planet (one of the easiest ways to be eco-friendly is to eat less meat). It’s also incredibly versatile and relatively low-maintenance, once you get past the peeling and slicing part. For this recipe, I went old school and seasoned it with garlic and rosemary, but I have plans to try other more adventurous combos, like tarragon and shallots.
You will mostly be using the longer top part of the squash for this to get the “steaks,” but I recommend dicing up the remainder of the veggie and cooking them for a future quick lunch with tossed with lettuce and garbanzo beans or boiling to use as a puree for soup. You can do a quick roast of the seeds in a frying pan—no cleaning needed, just let the pulpy matter get nice and crispy. Yum! Go ahead and toss the remaining scraps in your compost—your worms will thank you and so will your garden. I’m all about reducing kitchen waste!
This squash is great on its own on a bed of lettuce (pictured here) or paired with a more elaborate meal for date night, with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes if you want to mimic the full steak dinner.
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, washed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
salt to taste
olive oil
To prepare, cut off the top and bottom parts of the squash, no more than a quarter of an inch. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the hard outer skin. Then cut bottom rounded part off and set aside (see above for ways to use those remaining pieces).
Lay butternut squash on its side and carefully slice it into 1/3 to 1/2 in slices, depending on how thick you want your steaks to be.
Rub steaks in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and salt tot taste and let sit for twenty minutes.
While steaks marinate, heat olive oil in saucepan on medium.
Place 2-3 steaks in sauce pan (the number depends on how big your squash and pan are). Let cook on one side for 5-7 minutes, until browned and softened. Flip steaks and do the same for the second side. Repeat until all steaks are cooked.
Serve on a bed of lettuce and drizzle with olive oil. Makes 4-6, depending on how thick your steaks are. Enjoy!
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