Serving winter squash doesn’t mean you have to start preparing it hours in advance. This recipe is done in about 20 minutes from start to finish. The minced rosemary, garlic and lemon need to be cooked only long enough to release their wintry perfumes.
6 SERVINGS
2 |
tablespoons pine nuts |
2 |
teaspoons minced fresh rosemary |
2 |
teaspoons minced lemon zest |
1½ |
teaspoons minced garlic |
2 |
tablespoons fresh lemon juice |
3 |
tablespoons olive oil |
2 |
pounds peeled winter squash, cut into roughly ½-inch cubes |
|
Salt |
|
Freshly ground pepper |
Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until they are lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Combine the rosemary, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl and add just enough lemon juice to moisten. Stir together roughly with a spoon, crushing and smearing them to make a thick paste. The pieces of garlic and rosemary should be extremely fine because they will need to cook in a flash. Set aside the herb paste and the remaining lemon juice.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when it is very hot, add the winter squash. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss so that the squash is evenly coated with oil and seasoned with salt.
Cover tightly and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and toss to stir the squash. The cooked sides should be starting to caramelize. Cover again and cook for another 2 minutes.
Remove the lid and toss to stir. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the squash is just tender enough to be pierced with a sharp knife, about 5 minutes. The cubes should appear somewhat glazed and browned on most of their surfaces, but they should not be so well cooked that they are falling apart.
Sprinkle the herb mixture and the remaining lemon juice over the squash. Toss to coat, letting the herb mixture sizzle briefly and become aromatic. Taste for salt and lemon juice. Season with pepper to taste. Scatter the toasted pine nuts over the top and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve.