Oven Roasted Delicata Arches !

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

 This photo reminds me of my rudimentary sketches of the brilliant Roman arches and aqueducts we studied in our first year of architectural school 🙂 My rudimentary experiments continue with squashes this fall, but am I glad I tried the delicata squash ! I got mine at Trader Joe’s when I heard that the skin of delicata squash is also edible after cooking .So, no peeling!

This is a very easy and simple recipe with a topping that I find addictive ! I like it so much that I keep an extra batch of the dry ingredients -dried coconut flakes, peanuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds roasted and ground, ready to go on baked veggies or as stuffing in smaller vegetables.

The delicata squash took all of 21 minutes to bake, including the 1 minute of broiling at the end.Broiling gave the dish a golden glow and let the rich, warm and nutty aroma of the topping waft through the home….such a welcoming feeling in the fall!

Ingredients-

 1/2 teaspoon oil to grease the baking dish. I used extra virgin olive oil.

For the topping-

• 2 tablespoons dry coconut flakes, roasted
• 1 tablespoon brown sesame seeds, roasted
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed powder

Other ingredients-

• 1 fat garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil. I used extra virgin olive oil
• 7 or 8 shakes of the red pepper flakes, or to taste
• sea salt to taste
• 1 medium sized delicata squash, washed, cut length wise and then cut crosswise into slices about ¼ inches thick

  

To make the delicata arches-

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the baking dish with the 1/2 teaspoon of oil and set aside. I used extra virgin olive oil.
2. Grind together all the ingredients for the topping. I use a coffee grinder that I reserve just for my spices:)
3. Add the grated garlic and the brown sugar to the topping mixture and set aside.
4. In a bowl, combine the tablespoon of oil, red pepper flakes and sea salt. Add the delicata squash slices and toss well.
5. Arrange the slices in the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the topping on the delicata squash slices and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the squash is cooked. Broil on high for about a minute, or until the topping is golden brown.
6. Serve the warm, nutty delicata arches that are rich in flavor and aroma!

   

Sesame seeds are used in Indian cooking in the cold weather. According to Ayurveda,they have health benefitting qualities like creating warmth in our bodies and nourishing the deep tissues of our bodies, keeping the skin soft and they also have antioxidants. Of course the taste of roasted and ground sesame seeds alone would have won me over too:)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Love,

Sandhya