Butternut "bruschetta" on sourdough toasts

I wanted to make a fancy-looking appetizer for the cookie swap/party I had this weekend, and came up with the idea to do a twist on the typical bruschetta using very finely diced butternut squash instead of tomato. I used maple syrup, sage and chili powder to give it both sweet and savory flavors, some bacon for extra dimension (we used soy "bacon" because we had some vegetarians coming to the party; you could use real bacon or even crumbled sausage if you prefer), and then some apple at the very end to give it a little crunch.

I'd suggest to start by peeling and chopping all the ingredients, as this is the most time consuming part of the recipe. I used:

4 c. butternut squash (about half of a large squash), peeled and finely diced
4-5 strips (soy) bacon, also diced
1 c. firm apple (about one Granny Smith or similar), diced. Toss with a little lemon juice to keep from browning.

2-3 Tbsp. good quality maple syrup
4-5 leaves fresh sage, crushed
1/2+ tsp. chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt
a few grinds fresh black pepper

1 large sourdough baguette (or 2 small), sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces and toasted under the broiler

If you choose to use real bacon, start off by cooking this over medium heat in a large saucepan, until the pieces have crisped - this should happen pretty quickly. [If you use the fake bacon, skip this step and instead heat up 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil in the pan] Add the butternut squash, maple syrup, spices (sage through pepper) and sautee with occasional stirring until the squash has softened, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped soy bacon at this point. Cook another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in the apple - I left it mostly raw so it would give a nice crunch (to contrast the 'mushiness' of the squash). Spoon ~1 Tbsp. or so onto each toasted slice of sourdough and arrange on a plate. These taste best warm or at room temperature.

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Butternut squash and chickpeas with cumin couscous

I found this delicious looking recipe in the latest issue of "Real Simple" - I know, it's not really a twenty-something magazine, but at least it's not Martha Stewart. Anyway, they suggest it as a side dish at Thanksgiving that is hearty enough to serve as a main dish for vegetarians. I'm not vegetarian but I do have a lot of veggie friends, and I tend to like Moroccan-inspired dishes, so I thought I'd give it a test run this weekend.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (~2 lbs)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
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2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
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1 c. canned diced tomatoes
1 x 32 oz. container vegetable broth
1 x 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
1/3 c. raisins (golden or dark)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
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1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 c. couscous
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2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped almonds

Directions:
Peel and halve the squash. Remove the seeds and cut into ~1 inch chunks. Dice the onion and chop the garlic. You may want to measure out the spices into a small mise en place bowl at this point to save some scrambling later. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or very large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for one minute. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and cook 15-20 minutes until squash is tender and a lot of the liquid has boiled off.

After you've uncovered the squash mixture, boil 1 1/2 c. water with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. cumin. Stir in the couscous and remove from heat, let stand 5-10 minutes and fluff with a fork. Divide the couscous into individual portions (this recipe serves 6-8 people) and ladle the squash over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and almonds.

The verdict:
Very filling! I liked the flavors, which wasn't surprising, but the spices weren't nearly strong enough for my taste. I'd probably double them next time, and maybe leave out the parsley garnish entirely. The squash mixture came out really watery, which was kind of unfortunate since I'm sure a lot of the flavors wound up in the broth instead of on our plates. The dish needs a lot of liquid to cover the squash chunks and cook them properly, but it didn't boil off much. The only real fix I can think of is to cook the couscous in with the squash instead of cooking it separately, i.e., add the dry couscous once the squash is done cooking and let it absorb the liquid for ten minutes. Otherwise, though, thumbs up.

I'll probably come back and update this post if those changes help, but I might not be making it again for a while - the 6-8 servings are going to be providing me with lunch and dinner all week!

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