Here is a sauce that feels rich in the mouth and has big flavors. The texture of the sauce comes from the squash and onions, and there is no cream in it. This sauce was devised for topping red beets, but it would be fine for fish, chicken, or even pork. It would also be nice on pasta as a fun twist on the classic Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce (see recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli on site). Stuff ravioli with chard and cheese, or add ground turkey or pork, and top with the sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced 2 pound, roughly, butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out 4 whole cloves garlic in skin+2 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced 1-inch sprig fresh thyme or 6 fresh sage leaves (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Olive oil as needed 1-2 cups vegetable stock or water, as neededMETHOD:
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Rub the whole garlic cloves with oil, and rub the cut side of the squash with oil. Season the squash with salt and pepper. Put the squash on a foil lined sheet pan cut-side down, and place the garlic cloves in a corner. Place in the hot oven and roast. Check the garlic after 15 minutes. You want to cook the garlic until it is soft and creamy feeling. As soon as it reaches this state, pull from the pan. Cook the squash until tender, around 20-30 minutes, then carefully flip and cook until the top becomes a little golden colored and the squash has a toasty and sweet aroma. Pull from the oven, and as soon as practicable use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Discard the skin.
While the squash roasts, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, film well with oil. When the oil is hot, add either the rosemary sprig, or the sage leaves, and cook until fragrant, and the leaves/needles are darkened without burning. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to dry. Add the onions. Toss to coat and sauté gently, without coloring, until the onions are very soft and losing shape. Add the garlic and cook to soften without coloring. Season with salt and pepper and add half the thyme. Stir to mix in. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins and mix into the pan.
Add the squash to the pan and stir with a wooden spatula to blend.
Put a ¼-cup stock or water in a blender with the rest of the thyme and add enough squash/onion mixture to fill ¾ of the way. Pureé until completely smooth, then pureé 30 seconds to 1 minute more to aerate the mixture. If the pureé does not want to move, or is too thick, add liquid, a little at a time, until the squash becomes a sauce. Adding too much will result in a soup. Repeat as needed until all the ingredients in the pan are pureed. Mix together. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Put into a pot and keep warm until used, or store in the refrigerator for a day before re-heating very gently and using. Use the fried sage leaves or rosemary needles as garnish.
Chef’s Notes: This recipe will work with other squash such as Orange or Green Hokkaido, pumpkins, Hubbard, or other dense fleshed winter squash. Shallots can be used in addition or in lieu of onions. Use less garlic if you wish. Roasting it makes it sweet and creamy, and it loses its “heat”, so if you wanted heat-free sauce, omit the sautéed garlic and go more roasted. You could use vinegar to add depth to the flavor, or minced nuts to add texture, such as toasted almonds or filberts. Marjoram is a nice herb in this, and you can use cinnamon in a small amount with the garlic and thyme too. For pasta, try using a little pasta cooking water to thin the sauce when adding it to the dish.
Yield: Around 3-4 cups
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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