Braised Carnival Squash

Personally, I think squash is best all by itself, just cooked plain and served -- it's naturally delicious. But since I had a second squash this week, I figured I would do something a little bit different.

I used a carnival squash, although you could substitute butternut with this recipe. The flesh of the squash was much heartier than acorn, almost more like potatoes. If you wanted, you could also puree this recipe with some chicken stock and have a yummy winter squash soup.

Braised Winter Squash

INGREDIENTS:

1 large carnival squash, or medium butternut squash

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 cup water

1/4 small red onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp coarse sea salt

Pinch of ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut squash in half, microwave in small bowl with 1/4 cup water for 3 minutes.*

2. Cube squash into 1" pieces, place in saute pan.

3. Add onion, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour in remaining cup of water.

4. Cook on medium-high until water has evaporated and squash is soft (about 10 min). If the water evaporates but the squash still isn't fully cooked, just add another 1/4 cup until it's done.

5. Remove from heat, let cool, and serve.

Serves 2-3

* Cutting squash has sent me to the emergency room once already. I refuse to let it happen again.