Our Harvest Kitchen Food Service Manager, Chef Sean Kontos, loves sharing some of his recipes for the home cook.
“This is a side dish that I always like to make at Thanksgiving. It’s great because it utilizes the bounty of the season while adding something a little different to the Thanksgiving table. The heat and the acidity of the gastrique helps cut through that richness of typical Thanksgiving dishes like turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, or green bean casserole — and the color livens up the table a bit too. If you are not a person that likes a lot of spice, take one of the peppers out, or take both out and substitute about a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.”
Try This from Chef Sean!
Roasted Winter Squash with Fresno Chili Gastrique
Ingredients
1 Butternut squash* (2-3 lb) — peeled, seeded, medium dice
1-2 Delicata squash* (depending on size) — seeded, sliced in “half-moons”
2 Fresno chilis — sliced in rings
1 Large red onion — julienned
2 Cloves garlic — sliced thin
1 c. White sugar
1 c. Vinegar (white wine, apple cider, or rice wine preferably)
1/4 c. White Wine (Whatever you might drink with the meal)
2 tsp. Salt
*Be sure to reserve the squash seeds!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Start by trimming the ends off of the Butternut and Delicata squash. Peel the Butternut squash and careeully cut it the long way, down the middle. The Delicata doesn’t need to be peeled, but cut it the long way down the middle as well.
- Scoop the seeds out. Remove all of the stringy pith from them and set them aside.
- Dice the Butternut into medium-sized dices. Slice the Delicata into half-moon shapes, about 1/4-inch thick. Separately, toss them in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them out on baking sheets. They will take different amounts of time to cook (the Delicata should be quicker), but roast them until they are fork tender.
- Toss the squash seeds in a little oil and salt, and spread them on a baking tray. Roast them until lightly browned and crunchy, like you would if you were roasting pumpkin seeds on Halloween. Set them aside.
- Place the sugar, vinegar, wine, salt, red onions, and Fresno peppers in a small sauce pot and gently bring to a boil, stirring occasionally so as not to let the sugar burn. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat off. This is your gastrique.
- Once the squash is roasted, gently toss it with the gastrique, top it with the toasted squash seeds, and serve.
About Chef Sean Kontos
Sean is a native of Dover, NH, who has been working in the food service industry for 13 years. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in culinary arts in 2011, he went on to cook around Nantucket and the seacoast of New Hampshire, focusing on local and sustainable cooking particularly tied to whole animal butchery. After backpacking through Europe, he and his now wife moved to Providence where he worked at Local 121, eventually becoming head chef. Most recently, he helped open Farm & Coast Market in South Dartmouth, MA, as a butcher and chef. Sean started out as a volunteer with our RI Farm to School program until moving on to work with Harvest Kitchen. Today he is an important part of our team at Harvest Kitchen, bringing culinary skill and expertise to our operations.
