Roasted Butternut Fillets

This is a nice vegetarian side dish, or main course, paired with your favorite side dishes. Our brother in law Tommy grows the most delicious butternut squash and we relish taking a few home with us every fall.

Try this interesting approach to roasting squash inspired by Derek Sarno, who worked on plant-based offerings at Whole Foods and UK's Tesco markets (YouTube, check him out). He made his vegan, but mine is only plant-forward, as I offer these tasty fillets on a luscious beef-broth-based mushroom gravy.

1 large butternut squash, unpeeled

2 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

4 short (2-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary

Sauce:

2 Tbsp butter

1 small shallot, finely minced

8 oz mushrooms, diced 1/2-inch

2 large cloves garlic, minced

about 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

1-1/2 cups water

1 tsp beef better than bouillon (or veggie for vegetarian)

1 Tbsp corn starch

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375F. Roast squash in a roasting pan for about 45 min to an hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile prepare the mushroom sauce.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sauté the shallot in the butter for about 3-5 minutes, until softened.

Add the mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the mushrooms release what water they will and begin to brown up nicely. Add the garlic and the rosemary and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Whisk together the water, bouillon, corn starch and soy sauce in a small bowl. Stir the sauce into the mushrooms and bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. Cook until thickened.

Reduce heat to as low a simmer as possible, and cover.

Preheat oven to 425F. Cut round bottom section containing seeds, off of the squash, leaving the seedless neck intact. Reserve the bottom section for another use.

Peel and slice the neck into four equal fillet disks, about 3/4-inch thick.

Melt butter in olive oil in a cast iron, or otherwise oven-going pan. Add the butternut disks and scatter the rosemary tips in the butter about the squash.

Sauté over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, until starting to brown well.

Flip and cook another 5 minutes or so.

Place each rosemary spring on top of one fillet and top with a pad of butter.

Place pan in oven and roast for about 8-10 minutes, or until the fillets are brown and bubbly.

Spoon some sauce on a plate and top with one fillet. Garnish with plain yogurt and parsley, and pecan halves if desired.

Serves 4.

Comments

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