Welcome to the first edition of the Cookbook Club! This new, monthly feature will spotlight one of my favorite cookbooks in each issue. I am by no means a book critic, so this is a good-vibes-only space. I’ll simply give a rundown of what I liked and then cook through one of the recipes. We’ll cover some new publications, some old and all kinds of food. Got a cookbook suggestion? I’m all ears!
Let’s start with a classic, albeit a relatively new one: Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone. If you haven’t heard of Athena or her Eyeswoon empire, allow me to introduce you to the goddess of all things food and design. Her unique aesthetic is both rustic and sophisticated, detailed yet effortless, and of course, beautiful. It’s often an inspiration to me in the kitchen, but to be totally honest, I also want her house and her wardrobe.
Cook Beautiful is a collection of simple, seasonal recipes, artfully presented and complete with “Swoon Tips” to recreate her plating style. What I love most about this book is that it’s broken down by season, each one featuring only ingredients that are at their peak. The table of contents essentially doubles as a farmers’ market guide. So, what’s on the menu for fall? Squash.
Specifically, delicata squash. Delicata squash is my squash of choice for two reasons. First, it has that satisfying savory-sweet flavor of butternut squash. Second, it’s not butternut squash, which means you don’t have to risk your fingertips trying to peel and slice it. The tender skin on delicata squash is edible, delicious and nutrient-rich. This recipe pairs it with an agrodolce sauce, which is essentially an Italian sweet and sour sauce that both balances and enhances the natural sweetness of the flesh. Calderone puts her spin on the dish with a little fresh lime, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sage. I’m into it.
P.S. Jump on this recipe quickly! Delicata squash is only harvested for a short time in early fall.
Delicata Squash Agrodolce
Recipe from Cook Beautiful by Athena Calederone
Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 2 delicata squash (about 2 pounds total), cut into ½ inch rounds, seeds removed
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons honey, divided
- salt and freshly cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon minced red habanero chile, or 1 red Fresno chile, minced
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 large lime, grated and juiced
- 5 or 6 fresh sage leaves, very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pepitas, toasted
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the squash in a large bowl and drizzle it with the oil and 2 tablespoons of the honey. Season with salt and pepper and toss until evenly coated.
Transfer the squash to two large rimmed baking sheets, spreading it in a single layer. Roast until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes per side, flipping the squash halfway through baking.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the habanero, vinegar, lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons honey to a boil. Season with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture is syrupy, 8 to 10 minutes.
Just before serving, spoon the agrodolce over the squash. Garnish with the sage, pepitas and lime zest.
Swoon Tip:
While you wouldn’t necessarily want to eat the root and stem ends of a delicata squash, they’re too pretty to toss. Here, they serve as a subtle accent to the dish, breaking up the visual monotony of the squash rounds with a stripy pop of color.
Real Talk
As a lover of delicata squash, this recipe was definitely up my alley, but in the spirit of being candid, there were a few things I would tweak next time around. (And there will definitely be a next time!)
My squash didn’t quite caramelize like Athena’s did— every oven is different. I think mine would do better on a higher heat for less cook time. Also, the agrodolce sauce took a little longer than 8-10 minutes to become syrupy, so I would start this right when the squash goes into the oven. Finally, I didn’t have a habanero pepper, so I went for the Fresno chile option instead. This gave the dish plenty of beautiful, bright red color (hello, holiday sides!) but I wanted a little more heat. I might go for regular old crushed red pepper next time around.
All in all, this is a lovely, flavorful recipe that creates a beautiful side dish. The toasted pepitas and fresh sage are just perfect with the squash, and certainly make for a swoon-worthy plate.
