Butternut Squash Gratin, adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone
yield: 4-6 servings
One 2-2 1/2 pound butternut squash
3-5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
sea salt and black pepper
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Peel and seed the squash.
You have the option of cutting it into small cubes or larger chunks: cubes collapse at the end of cooking time. Larger chunks do not.
The gratin tastes delicious either way. Place the cubed squash in a shallow gratin dish.
Fold in the garlic, salt, pepper, and flour. Madison’s recipe calls for 5 garlic cloves. My garlic cloves were very large, so I used three. Use your judgement and love of garlic. In terms of salt and pepper, you want the squash just seasoned: think about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1teaspoon of black pepper. I find my hands are the best tools for blending everything, though I’d suggest a gentle approach, lest your squash tumble out the pan and hit your clean sweats before landing on the floor (ahem).
Drizzle the olive oil liberally over the top, if you need a measure, use at least a tablespoon.
Bake for two hours.
Note: I’ve adapted Madison’s recipe slightly, replacing parsley with fresh thyme, as the recipe seems to call out for it. Should you prefer parsley, you’ll want 1/2 cup fresh, chopped.