Butternut Squash Gnocchi Recipe

There are many new seasonal ingredients available at the market, but the one that really represents Thanksgiving season to me is butternut squash. The color of this versatile veggie embodies the fall and the flavor is sweet with a slightly nutty taste.


I love butternut squash in pasta dishes, so today I sautéed whole wheat gnocchi in butter and garlic, tossed in a molasses-roasted butternut squash and finished the gnocchi dish with store-bought butternut squash pasta sauce. This special sauce was the winner of the best pasta sauce at the New York Fancy Food Show in 2009. I received it from our friend Dave of DavesGourmet.com. This exquisite sauce is made with squash ripened in Oregon's Willamette Valley and contains fresh garlic, onions and roasted bell peppers. Dave's Gourmet is going to be part of almost $1,000-worth of giveaways to Pham Fatale readers in the month of December. I’ll introduce some of the wonderful products that await you over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Butternut Squash Tagine Recipe

There is a large North African community in France, and as a child I enjoyed many wonderful dishes from the region. The spices are very similar to Indian cuisine but the dishes incorporate sweet flavors, usually in the form of dried fruits. I’ve shared many of these dishes with Lulu, and he’s come to enjoy them as much as I do.

Lulu’s been craving a tagine lately, so today I made a butternut squash version. The squash adds a beautiful color and goes very well with saffron, cinnamon, cumin and ginger. The sweetness of dried plums and sundried tomatoes finished the dish, along with sunflower seeds for added crunch.

Instead of serving it with the usual couscous steamed semolina, I paired it with black rice, which worked wonderfully. To accommodate everyone in my home, I added fried tofu to soak up the delicious sauce for protein. Of course, you could simmer some lamb shanks (my favorite!) or chicken but it would take a lot more time to cook slowly until tender.

Indian Sabzi Recipe: Spicy Butternut Squash

Spicy butternut squash sabzi is an Indian vegetable dish made with cumin seeds, fennel seeds, ground coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, sweet and sour ingredients (mango powder, lemon juice and sugar), butternut squash and its skin. I know what you're wondering. Yes, butternut squash skin is edible; it's just a matter of taste. I discovered this while learning to cook Indian food with Baji, my husband Lulu's late grandmother. If the skin is cooked long enough with a generous amount of water, it becomes soft and tender. The skin also helps prevent the squash from falling apart and turning all mushy.

Butternut squash sabzi is traditionally served with puri (fried flat bread). Baji tried teaching me how to make puri and all sorts of Indian flat bread, which I always failed at miserably. I find kneading and folding the dough very tricky, so usually I ask Lulu's aunt, Sheerin Auntie to make them for us. She was over recently so we got to enjoy a nice meal of puri and sabzi. Everyone should have their own Sheerin Auntie!