Squashed Lunch

I had sort of got out of the lunch groove for a while. While it was hot, it was all I could do to scrape together fixings for a wrap or pita sandwich. We’ve had a cool down over the past few days, though, and it took almost no time at all for my food brain to start turning again.

S made mashed sweet potatoes the other week, which got me in the mood for squash, and I picked up a butternut on Monday. Tuesday was my St Paul day, so I wasn’t home for lunch, which means I’ve been talking about making this squash for two days straight. It’s just my lazy-man’s-roasting technique, but I’d never tried it on squash before, so I was excited.

I cut centimeter-thick slices from the neck of the butternut squash, used a paring knife to remove the skin, and then microwaved them until they were tender. Tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a few bits of red onion. Then onto the skillet, where the outside browned and crisped perfectly.
I ate it with black beans — the sweetness of the squash and the salty beaniness of the beans were made for each other — and a green salad with runner beans and broccoli from the garden. The broccoli is still growing like mad, despite the cold nights. My own butternut squash vine finally took off a few weeks ago, and I’ve got at least half a dozen mini squashes growing. But will they survive the colder weather? I hope so. Go squashes, go!