smoked bacon

Roast Squash Coloradito

/ Ren

Roasted sweet dumpling squash stuffed with poblano peppers, Spanish onions, smoked bacon and toasted corn, served over a spicy mole Coloradito..

Roast Squash Coloradito

Roast Squash Coloradito

For the Sauce

Simmer 1/4 cup mole Coloradito paste (a somewhat complicated combination of Ancho and Guajillo chiles, almonds, sesame seeds, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, banana and pumpkin seeds) with 3/4 cup vegetable stock.  Keep warm.

For the Roasted Squash

Split, trim and seed one or more small, suitable baking squash (such as the thin-skinned sweet dumpling variety, shown here).  Scoop out and discard the stringy fibers, leaving 1/2 inch flesh.  Brush with ghee or melted butter, season with salt and smoked pepper and roast in a 375 degree oven until tender and caramelized, about 40 minutes. Keep warm.

For the Filling

4 pieces of un-cured smoked bacon, cut into large dice
1 Poblano pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell or sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until nearly crisp.  Add vegetables and continue to cook until barely tender.  Fill the cavity of the squash with the vegetable mixture, season with salt and pepper and return to the oven until heated through, about 7 minutes.

To Serve

Spread mole in the center of a warmed plate and place roasted squash on top.  Toss some toasted pumpkin seeds and a little chopped cilantro at it and serve immediately.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Roasted Winter Squash, Locked and Loaded

/ Ren

Roasted winter squash with smoked bacon, poblano peppers, onions and toasted cumin seed..

Winter Squash, Roasted & Loaded

Winter Squash, Roasted & Loaded

Split a firm, thick-walled winter squash lengthwise through the stem.  Remove seeds and pulp, oil lightly and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Place the squash halves into a skillet or onto a baking sheet along with half of an onion, half of a poblano,  half of a red bell pepper and additional chunks of peeled squash and roast at 400 degrees until the peppers are blackened.

The squash halves might need more or less time depending, but don’t let them cook until they collapse.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook diced, thick-cut smoked bacon in a heavy skillet with a spoonful of whole cumin seeds.  Add roasted vegetables, toss in some roughly-chopped fresh cilantro and taste for salt and pepper.  Add a little vegetable or chicken stock to keep things moist.

Place roasted squash halves on a plate and fill with the vegetable mixture.  Serve with charro or black beans on the side if you like.