Roasted Butternut Squash With Wild Rice Medley
Happy Thanksgiving y’all! Hollering out to my compatriots worldwide…I just feel like shouting out. It’s a day to remind us to be grateful for the love that surrounds us and the abundance of food that keeps us alive so let’s be loud about it.
I’m so far away from all the festivities of family, long weekends, parades, football playing on the t.v. set (who really cares but it has its role on this day) , turkey basting, the savory and sweet scents wafting through the house like living in a gingerbread house with a dash of falling salt snow. Then there’s the stuffing recipes, oh! and the classic tempting pecan pies, pumpkin pies, sweet potato mash— might as well throw in the marshmallow fluff. Every which way you turn in the kitchen there is some side dish or dessert to stick your nose or fingers into until the big bird is ready to be served. Alas, stuffing ourselves silly with these cornucopia of Thanksgiving ritualistic delights, then spending the long weekend recovering from food coma.
So you see I am slightly nostalgic about this day although I really hadn’t had a thought to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for today since we will be acknowledging and celebrating Thanksgiving with friends on December 1st ( a Saturday) due to the work and school schedule tomorrow. I can’t cash in on all the U.S. holidays over here in France but it’s alright because overall we get more holidays in France than in the States.
There is a warmth that flows through my blood on this cold and grey looking Thanksgiving day and it’s my duty to share that with my kids and my French hubby. Our usual ritual is to go to a local American diner-themed restaurant called Breakfast of America where we are transported momentarily to the States and milkshakes are the first call to order as we continue our own family tradition living in Paris and give thanks to what we have today.
Butternut Squash With Wild Rice Medley
INGREDIENTS//Serves 4
• 1 butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• A pinch of ginger, freshly grated
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 250 grams wild rice
• 240 grams or 1 cup green lentils, cooked
• 30 grams butter, divided
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 small cauliflower, grated
• 1 teaspoon curcuma(tumeric) powder
• 1 tablespoon nut oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch flat parsley, chopped
• 60 grams of pecan, roasted and brown sugar coated
• 2 tablspoons brown sugar
PREPARATION
Roasted Pecans
In a small pot melt the butter (15 grams) and the brown sugar together.
Stir in the pecans and try to coat all the pecans with the syrupy mix.
Pour it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that it’s ready to go in the oven.
Butternut Squash
In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar, ginger, and honey together.
Halve the butternut squash and score the flesh with a knife.
Pour the sauce mix over the butternut squash before placing in the oven.
Cauliflower Fluff
In a pan, heat up 15 grams of butter.
Add the grated garlic and cauliflower. Cook for about 8 minutes.
Add the curcuma and stir. Take it off the stove until ready to add to the wild rice medley.
INSTRUCTIONS
Pre heat your oven to 170°C.
Then place the pecans in the oven for about 10 minutes to roast.
Take them out, let it cool, and place it aside until ready to use.
Pre heat your oven to 200° C or 400° F. Place the butternut squash in a baking pan with the flesh face up and place it in the oven for 45 minutes.
Wild Rice Medley
Combine your cooked wild rice and lentils.
Add your olive oil and nut oil.
Then toss in the cauliflower fluff and the parsley.
Add salt and pepper according to your taste buds.
Once the butternut squash is roasted, take it out and place some of the wild rice medley in the groove, garnish with the roasted pecans and serve.
NOTE
If your butternut squash is small enough you can serve each half individually. If it is a large butternut squash, you can quarter it with a knife or tear it apart with your hands (make sure not to burn yourself!). Then plop a few spoonfuls of the wild rice medley on top and it’ll be ready to serve.