Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash with Frisée & Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

I would never have bought this squash had the name not included 'dumpling'. Why 'dumpling'? Why not 'stripe-y' or 'squash-a-licious'?  

It does melt in your mouth sort of like dumplings do, and I suppose the small size makes it rather cute like a dumpling... 

Name aside, here's why this squash should be on your grocery list: it's nutty-sweet and the skin is edible. That means you don't have to worry about chopping off fingers while attempting to get to the flesh (I'm thinking butternut squash here – such a pain).

And it makes a delicious first course roasted with a drizzle of maple syrup and paired with a bitter/ salty frisée salad tossed with bacon bits, caramelized squash seeds, and warm bacon sherry vinaigrette. 

Recipe: set oven to 450˚F. Slice dumpling squash into 2"–inch slices. Scrape out seeds, clean them, and set aside. Place squash slices in a roasting pan and season with S & P, then drizzle olive oil and maple syrup over to coat. Cook for 10 minutes and flip slices in pan. Add seeds to roasting pan. Cook until squash is tender about 10 minutes longer. 

Meanwhile chop 3 slices of bacon and heat in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat until crispy. Drain over paper towel reserving 1 T of the hot bacon fat. Whisk bacon fat with 2T olive oil and 2T sherry vinegar plus S & P. Toss dressing with frisée and bacon bits and serve squash slices on top with seeds to garnish.

Comments

[John]

Ms Glaze, Thank God you get a decent home cooked meal once in a while, with the absolutely wilting demands you meet. I have never eaten squash skin. How was it? On another note, will there ever be a modern unified theory of sauces that brings togther in some coherent, organized manner, the changes in approach from not only novelle cuisine, but world influnces on modern cuisine, that would impose order like the classical French system? Could Eric Ripert, Bobby Flay, Rick Bayliss, Ming Tsai and all the other modern great Chefs and world contributions to modern fine cuisine into a system like Escoffier's and as simply stated Like Julia Child? Is this possible? Is it desirable? Can a classically trained French Chef impose order on world cuisine like the Code Napoleon after the Revolution? Can this been done for the home cook? Or are these thoughts merely the by product od an addled, untrained mind? John

[wattacetti]

Hiya Chef!

By some odd coinkidink I was given one of these things, but mine appears to be the size of a softball.

Wasn't quite sure what to do with it since squash normally doesn't make an appearance on my menus, but your post is serendipitous and even includes bacon. The squash will meet the Universal Oneness as soon as I get some good bacon (I'll send a photo if it turns out).

[SAS]

Hated hated hated squash/pumpkin until I was in my 20's. Then somebody flipped a switch. One Thanksgiving I ate an entire pumpkin pie by myself. In one day... Will have to look for these guys at the store this week. we've had some drizzly, foggy PNW days lately, so anything roasted sounds perfect. Thanks!

[Lynda]

I love this recipe. It uses the squash and its seeds and is paired with the complimentary flavors of frisée and bacon. Perfect.

[cmf]

Had a customer last nite into my restaurant who had been into yours a couple weeks ago and raved about the food. Keep it up.

[Jerry]

Ah, perfect!

I was thinking about a squash dish for the Thanksgiving menu, and this one's it.

Thanks!