I don’t think I can fully confer my excitement of seeing delicata squash at the farmer’s market this weekend. I quite literally almost tripped and/or bumped into two different people when I saw it. It’s fine. The obsession is real. And this Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash with Balsamic-Fig Reduction is my new favorite for fall.

Five years ago when I first started my blog (holy sh*t, I can’t believe it’s been that long already!) I was doing all sorts of really intense gut-healing protocols to try and figure out what the heck was wrong with my intestines, my stomach, my whole body basically. And nothing seemed to work. I was eating a bunch of really bland food for a while – no onions or garlic, no spices, no FODMAPS or foods off the autoimmune protocol. 0/10 do not recommend. It was horrible and I didn’t end up figuring out my trigger foods anyway (probably because I was so stressed about not being able to eat anything, but I obviously hadn’t figured that out at the time).

One thing I was eating a ton of? SQUASH. All the kinds. I had a pretty good rotation of butternut, acorn, spaghetti squash, but I decided to branch out into the world of many other types of squashes that I didn’t even know existed until I went to the farmers market and thought I was in the middle of a halloween feast of many different colors and types of pumpkins. That’s how I discovered delicata squash, buttercup squash, carnival squash, kabocha squash, pattypan squash, and many more. Of all of them, Delicata was hands down my favorite. It’s much easier to cook than the bigger squashes like butternut, kabocha, and buttercup, and in my opinion, the most delicious too! So that works out quite well.

Roasting any fall squash with cinnamon is amazing, and I love to do a sweet-and-savory combination of cinnamon, cardamon, and garlic salt on the squash after drizzling it in ghee. Then, while the squash is roasting, I’ll make this balsamic-fig reduction which is just BOMB to put on anything from squash, to chicken, to toast or waffles in the morning.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy fall squash? Let me know in the comments!

Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash with Balsamic-Fig Reduction

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Dana: Real Food with Dana

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the squash

• 2 delicata squash, sliced into ½-inch rings and seeds removed
• 2 Tbsp melted ghee
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• garlic salt, to taste
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary or sage, chopped

For the balsamic-fig compote

• 1 c water
• ¾ c balsamic vinegar
• 8 fresh or dried figs, de-stemmed and quartered (you can use a combination of both fresh and dried)
• optional: 1 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Toss the squash in melted ghee. Spread the squash evenly between the two baking sheets, leaving room between the rings so they are not touching.
3. Sprinkle the spices evenly over the squash. Season with garlic salt.
4. Pop the baking sheets in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes.
5. While the squash is baking, make your compote: Combine the vinegar, water, figs, and rosemary in a small skillet or saucepan. Simmer (low heat) for about 20-30 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick. The longer you cook it, the longer it’ll reduce and thicken - just keep checking on it and stirring every once in a while so it doesn’t burn!
6. Mash the figs up with a fork so the sauce has more of a jelly-like consistency. Taste and adjust: if it’s too sweet, add a little vinegar. If it’s too thick, add some water. If it’s too tart, reduce it a little more.
7. The squash is done when it's golden brown and you can easily push down on it with your finger.
8. Serve the compote drizzled over the squash. Mmmm.

3.5.3208

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