Coming back from vacation is never easy, it was especially hard leaving a great cruise full of live music and a stop at Grand Cayman Island. We got to swim in the most beautiful turquoise water and even kissed a stingray!! While on Grand Cayman we had a delicious lunch made right on the beach. The plate consisted of corn on the cob, beans and rice, fresh pan seared red snapper and a wicked good butternut squash sauce. Such spicy, sweet and tender flavor profiles...needless to say nothing was left behind.
This week's market basket had the feel of fall with crisp juicy apples, acorn and butternut squash and the largest patty-pan squash I've ever seen! Making it through the week with the lingering memories of our time in the Caribbean had us shopping for fresh fish, and you guessed it – we HAD to try to replicate that butternut squash sauce. What transpired was acceptable, but somehow without our toes in the water or our butts in the sand it wasn't exactly the same!
Butternut Squash Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
1 small butternut squash, chopped into small pieces
1 small onion chopped
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
Cayenne
Brown Sugar
Thyme
Chicken Stock
HOW TO:
Use a large saute pan add about 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil and the onion and chopped butternut squash. Sprinkle with approx 1 Teaspoon salt and ½ Teaspoon pepper. Allow squash to become tender by cooking over med heat, approx 10 min. Add ½ cup chicken broth, ¼ Teaspoon cayenne and 1 Tablespoon brown sugar along with the Thyme (1/2 Teaspoon).
The squash will break down and become a chunky style sauce. If its too thick, add a bit more broth. Taste to make sure the seasonings are where you want them (does it need more salt, is there enough heat from the cayenne) and adjust to your likes.
Serve with fish or pork. We did a side of cranberry salsa with our sea bass this week and the sweet/tart combo was wonderful!
Cranberry Salsa
1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries (you can use frozen if you can't find fresh!)
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves minced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
Use food processor to chop up cranberries. Add all ingredients together and refrigerate for a couple hours, or overnight. Serve with tortilla chips, or use as a condiment to fish, pork or chicken dishes.
ENJOY!
Cheryl
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