Butternut Squash and Ranchero Sauce

I started this food blog because I wanted to share healthy recipes with friends and family but with Christmas and travel and the never ending flu bug, I haven't felt like writing out my recipes so I've taken to copying some of my favorites from other web pages. 

I love this recipe I found on The Punk Post Kitchen website. sometimes I just make the ranchero sauce and eat it with eggs and tortillas or add it to grilled veggie tacos. 

Sink your fork into a slice of Charbroiled Butternut Squash, and then scoop up some saucy black beans in a spicy ranchero sauce. It is not unlike a little bite of autumn heaven in Mexico. If Mexico had the kind of autumn that New England does. But instead of wrapping your head around that, just wrap your tastebuds around this recipe. Ooh, and you can serve with guacamole, too. For perfect timing, just start the squash recipe before starting the ranchero sauce. And remember to be careful when handling jalapenos! Don’t touch the seeds and definitely don’t touch your eyes after handling.

1 recipe Charbroiled Butternut Squash

Serves 4 to 6

All it takes is a little walnut oil and salt, plus a short spell under the broiler, to elevate your squash into something sublime. The exterior gets all caramelized and crispy while the interior is smooth, sweet and creamy.

1 large butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons walnut oil (olive oil is just great, too)

Salt

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel the butternut squash. Slice off ends. Chop the bulbous part off and scoop out seeds. Slice everything widthwise into just a little under 1 inch thick slices. The bulbous part will be sliced into pretty rings.

Drizzle one tablespoon of oil onto the baking sheet and dredge butternut slices in oil. Drizzle the remaining oil over the slices. Spray with a little cooking spray for good measure. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then flip, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake another 15 minutes. It should be cooked through and a browned at this point.

Turn the heat up to broil. Place baking sheet under broil and cook for about 5 minutes, the squash should be dark brown in places caramelized. The rings may cook faster than the other slices, so remove them sooner if necessary.

Ranchero sauce

2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons oil
1  yellow onion, diced medium
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp maple syrup or agave
2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Sliced scallions to serve

Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Dry toast the seeds in the pan for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until they’re fragrant and a few shades darker, just be careful not to burn. Raise the heat to medium high, add the oil and saute the onion, peppers and garlic for about 10 minutes, until onions are browned. Add the tomato sauce, salt and syrup and cook for about 5 minutes.

Transfer to the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If using a blender, intermittently lift the lid to let steam escape so that it doesn’t build up and explode and kill you.

Return sauce to the pan and add beans. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

To plate:

If you’ve got some large shallow bowls they would be perfect to use here. Pour a layer of saucy beans in the bowl and top off with 2 or 3 slices of squash. Garnish with scallions.