Photo from Betty Crocker.
The November 3 farm share for Glade Road Growing is slated to include tetsukabuto squash, broccoli, a baby haukarai turnip bunch, bok choy, and dill.
This is a recipe for broccoli with roasted squash. Since tetsukabuto is popular in Brazil, I've added a suggestion of that country's cuisine by including homemade coconut milk. (BTW, broccoli is pricey in Brazil, so collards would be more traditional.)
Serves 6
1. Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds (and reserve to toast). Roast cut side up in convection or conventional oven at 450 degrees until tender. Cool enough to peel and chop into cubes. You will use two cups for this recipe. If you don't have tetsukabuto, any type of winter squash or pumpkin can be substituted.
You can refrigerate any surplus and serve with steamed bok choy, tempeh and brown rice topped with toasted pecans; with roasted turnips, topped with a sauce made from Greek yogurt and chopped fresh dill; or pureed into a soup which includes steamed or roasted turnips, Yukon gold potatoes and celery.
2. While the squash is roasting, blend together 1 cups of of hot water and 1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to make milk. Refrigerate until ready to use. (If you want, you can make extra. It will keep for 3-4 days. The "cream" may separate on the top. Just shake or stir before using.) I use the milk as is, but some folks prefer it to be more like the commercial product, which requires that you pour it through a mesh strainer lined with several thicknesses of cheesecloth to remove the remaining bits of coconut.
3. Trim ends off broccoli. If stems are tough, peel. Chop stems and keep separate. Break top into florets. Steam stems until just tender and then add florets and continue to steam for about a minute or more until bright green and tender/crisp.
4. In a serving bowl, combine broccoli and squash and toss with the coconut milk. Top with dried cranberries (or pomegranate seeds) and pecans. If you'd like this to be a main dish, substitute 3 cups of cooked black beans and 3 cups of cooked brown rice for the fruit and nuts. Toss with the broccoli squash and coconut milk and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Top instead with chopped cilantro.
BTW, tetsukabuto squash is a hybrid between Cucurbita maxima (which originated in South America from the wild C. maxima ssp. andreana over 4000 years ago) and Cucurbita moschata, whose cultivars (which include butternut and crookneck squash and pumpkins) are generally more tolerant of hot, humid weather and insects. Tetsukabutos were developed in Japan and introduced to Brazil in 1960. They are popular in the cuisine of both countries.
