Win Thanksgiving with these delicata squash vases. Photo: Evan Sung
These delicata squash vases are one of chef Greg Baxtrom’s favorite seasonal dishes. They’re currently on the menu at his Prospect Heights restaurant, Olmsted. Multiply this recipe by however many servings you’d like (you won’t use a whole pear for each one). You could substitute thin curls of a hard cheese like parmesan or aged gouda for the speck to make this a vegetarian main course, too.
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Ingredients
1 delicata squash
.125 pounds sliced prosciutto or speck
1 bunch sage
3 tablespoons ricotta
1 green pear
1 bunch mustard greens
1 head lettuce
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Sherry vinegar
Method
- Top and tail your squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for 30 mins or until tender. Not looking for color
- Bake sliced prosciutto or speck at 325 degrees until crispy on a baking sheet
- Fry sage in 300 degree oil for 20 seconds
- Season ricotta with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest
- Clean lettuce and mustard greens
- Slice a green pear on a mandolin
- Stand up the squash, fill halfway with ricotta
- Dress the lettuce greens and pear with salt, pepper, olive oil and sherry vinegar
- Build your vase, start adding lettuces to make the bouquet. Decorate your lettuce bouquet with strips of crispy ham, pear slices and sage
Can you please confirm that we are to fill the squash vase with the ricotta and the roasted squash before building with the lettuces, cheese, etc?
Thanks!
Hi Diana,
Just scoop the stringy seedy part out, roast the squash, then stand it up. Put the seasoned ricotta in there, then the lettuce and other parts of the “bouquet.” Does that make sense?
Sorry, still confused. Am I roasting the the squash pulp that I pull out or am i roasting the outer squash itself? Do I not put the roasted squash pulp back in the vase with the ricotta?
Hi Diana,
You pull out the seeds and stringy center and discard. Then, roast the squash. Stand them up and put the ricotta inside. The walls of the vase will be cooked squash that you can scrape down and mix with the ricotta as you eat the dish.
Ah ok. That’s what I was thought. Thanks!
Sorry for being annoying.
We’re here to answer questions! Let us know how it turns out.