Kabocha Squash With Parmesan Cream And Thyme

4 squash

I can’t think of a better side dish to have this fall, one that includes kabocha squash. Have you tried it yet? Kabocha is a rich tasting squash and it tastes like a cross between a sweet potato and pumpkin, it’s vitamin rich and even low in carbs.

This dish is foolproof to make, when the squash is cut into quarters and the seeds scooped out ( which you can roast) it becomes the perfect vessel to hold the parmesan and thyme cream sauce.

This can easily be served during the week or set out on a platter for the holidays.

market squash

You might be intimidated and think how am I going to cut this! Well you definitely have to be safe. One way is you can stick the whole squash in your microwave for a couple of minutes to soften it, doing that will make it much easier to cut.

What I often do is take my knife, make a slit then cover the top of the blade with a tea towel, then take a mallet and pound it until it breaks through, it’s very safe that way and no fingers are involved.

parmesan cream sauce

When parmesan and thyme meet together it’s a match made in heaven, the flavors meld together perfectly!

cream and thyme

Of course this sauce would work with acorn, honey nut and butternut squash as well but if you haven’t tried kabocha, I urge you to give it a try.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Kabocha Squash With Parmesan Cream And Thyme
 
The perfect fall side dish
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 kabocha squash cut into quarters, scooping out the seeds and pulp. Follow instructions on blog post above for a safe way to cut it.
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup of grated parmesan
  • 12 sprigs of thyme
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cut the squash into quarters then drizzle all sections with olive oil and sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place squash cut side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 375F oven. When you see a rich golden color on the outer edge flip the squash over.
  2. In the meantime mix together the heavy cream, the parmesan and some thyme leaves.
  3. Then I like to transfer the squash into a baking dish where they fit somewhat tightly together, right side up, then gently spoon the cream sauce into the cavities.
  4. Place thyme sprigs all over each filled quarter.
  5. Place back into the oven until cream thickens and squash is tender.
  6. Depending on the size of your squash time varies , keep checking it.
  7. You made have leftover cream sauce or not enough again according to the size of your squash.
  8. Scoop and enjoy!

 

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Spring Vegetables in Parmesan Lemon Cream Sauce

spring vegetables in parmesan cream For seven years in a row Whole Foods Market has been celebrating the King of Cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano. This past weekend all Whole Foods across the country simultaneously “cracked” and sampled an 85- pound wheel of authentic Parmigiano Reggiano.

Did you know that every wheel at every Whole Foods Market is aged for 24 months? This is the best age in terms of taste and texture, in fact it cannot even be called Parmigiano Reggiano until it’s aged at least 12 months.

It has a rich distinctive flavor, it’s creamy, nutty, salty and savory all in one, and a little goes a long way!

They asked me if I wanted to join in the celebration, and of course I said yes. I always keep a hunk of of Parmigiano Reggiano as a staple in my kitchen, a good risotto just doesn’t taste the same without it and I can’t imagine not using it in my butternut squash gnocchi and ravioli.

It’s a great addition in many of my salads, sometimes just by simply grating large shards on top, and it goes without saying that it highlights many pasta dishes, in fact just last weekend I made a baked pasta dish with a tomato cream sauce, and honestly the Parmigiano Reggiano took it over the top, don’t get me wrong I love my Romano, but it wouldn’t have done it justice, and that’s how I feel about it, when I want a special finish to a dish that I’ve made, I always reach for Parmigiano Reggiano.

So to celebrate I wanted to make something that would showcase this special cheese and since spring is literally around the corner I decided to incorporate some of my favorite springtime veggies, lovely artichokes, fava beans, skinny asparagus and baby zucchini, and bathe them in a lemony parmesan cream sauce!

Parmigiano Reggiano Keep in mind Parmigiano Reggiano has a distinctive tan colored rind that’s pin stamped repeatedly all over, by this you will know it’s the real deal.

Parmigiano Reggianospring vegetables So on with the recipe! I used a shallow pan, 8×11, and just 1 1/2 inches deep, you want the veggies to peek out of the sauce, it gives a nicer presentation instead of them all piled on top of one another in a deep pan. You might have to double or triple the sauce ingredients depending on the size of your pan and amount of vegetables you use.

I filled my pan single layer with sliced baby leeks, skinny asparagus, artichoke hearts, fava beans, baby zucchini and sugar snap peas, but you can use any combination of spring vegetables you like.

All the vegetables are pretty much pre-cooked and ready to go. I roasted the zucchini, asparagus and leek slices in the oven until crisp tender. The sugar snap peas were blanched for 4 minutes and of course the artichokes were cooked ahead of time, you could use frozen artichoke hearts if you want, but I wouldn’t use canned. The fava beans were bought and pre-cooked, all I needed to do was peel the skin off, that was easy and save alot of time.

spring vegetables in parmesan cream Heavy cream, nutty Parmigiano Reggiano along with lemon zest and mint is a match made in spring veggie heaven!

spring vegetables in parmesan cream This would be a wonderful side dish to your Easter table!

5.0 from 3 reviews
Spring Vegetables in Parmesan Lemon Cream Sauce
 
The amount of sauce ingredients I used was for my 11x8 inch pan, 1½ deep, use your discretion and double or triple the amount if using a larger pan.
Author:
Ingredients
  • Assorted spring vegetables of your choice, precooked, placed single layer in a shallow pan, I used leeks, artichoke hearts, sugar snap peas, skinny aspragus and baby zucchini and fava beans.
  • 1¼ cups Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
  • 1½ cups, heavy cream
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • fresh mint
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a small sauce pan add the heavy cream and simmer just until it starts to bubble along the edges,
  2. ( this is a very important step), then remove from stove and toss in half of the zest and half of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano, stir gently.
  3. Spoon the cream sauce over and around all the vegetables.
  4. Sprinkle remaining cheese all over.
  5. Bake in 400 degree oven, uncovered until cheesy sauce sets and is thickened.
  6. If you want a little golden color, place pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes but please keep checking, don't walk away!
  7. Garnish with remaining zest and mint leaves, and a little more Parmigiano Reggiano wouldn't hurt.

 

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