Celebration Squash

This week’s Vegetable Box Feature: Celebration Squash!

Did you know?

• It is a hybrid squash of the sweet dumpling and acorn squash and is sought after for its uniquely patterned and colored exterior.
• It has fine-grained light-yellow flesh that is very sweet.
• It was developed by plant breeder Ted Superak of Harris Seeds in North America and was created with the intent to improve upon the sweet dumpling squash.
• It contains potassium, vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids.
• You can eat the whole squash, including the skin and seeds.

Fun Fact:
This squash is not only known for its deliciousness but also for its appearance in Fall Home décor & can often be found in centrepieces!

How to Store It:
It will keep up to a month when stored uncut in a cool and dark place. Sliced pieces can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator up to five days.

How to Use It:
It is best suited for cooked applications such as steaming, boiling, roasting, and sautéing, and it can be used in the same applications as other orange-flesh winter squashes such as butternut, acorn, and kabocha. Celebration squash can be roasted whole, cut in half or into pieces, and blended to become soup, sauce, added to stews, risottos, curries, or pasta dishes. The squash can also be utilized as an edible bowl as its size often lends itself to healthy individual serving portions and the seeds can be roasted as a snack.

Recipes:

Curry Roasted Carnival Squash, Carrots & Leeks
Created By: Chelsea Colbath

Eat this as a side with any meal, or on top of a bowl of polenta or cooked grains for a hearty meatless meal

Ingredients:
1 celebration squash
2 medium leeks
2 medium carrots
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP curry powder
1/2 tsp each of cumin paprika, dried garlic, turmeric, salt, and black pepper

Tahini Sauce (optional)
2 TBSP tahini
juice from 1 lemon
1 TBSP warm water
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp hot sauce of choice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Cut acorn/carnival squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Then cut each half into 1-inch thick wedges (about 16 total). Lay the squash wedges out on the sheet pan.
3. Cut the carrots and leeks into 8 long pieces each by halving them the long way, then cutting each half into 4 even pieces. Add them to the pan with the squash.
4. Combine all remaining ingredients (oil and spices) in a small bowl and stir to combine. Drizzle over the veggies, and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes on the lowest oven rack, or until all vegetables are tender.
5. While vegetables roast, make the tahini sauce. Whisk all ingredients together until thin and creamy.
   If needed, add up to 1 TBSP more water to help thin it out.
6. Transfer roasted vegetables to a serving dish, and drizzle with tahini sauce. Eat warm or room temperature. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes
*You can also use a red onion instead of leeks

Autumn Squash with Wild Rice
Created by: Coogan’s Kitchen

This is a delicious vegetarian meal or served along with roasted chicken or turkey… it is just so very, very scrumptious! The seasonings, flavors, crunch, textures… just incredible!

Ingredients:

Rice
1 cup wild rice, prepared per package instructions
2 TBSP butter

Squash
2 celebration squash, cut in half
2-4 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
kosher salt
black pepper

Topping
1 TBSP olive oil, extra virgin
1 TBSP butter
2 large shallots, chopped
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 cup chopped pecans
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup sprouted pumpkin seeds, raw with sea salt
2 tsp dried parsley
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped – 1 for each squash
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped – 1 for each squash

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wild Rice
1. Prepare the wild rice according to the package instructions. This will take 45 minutes to an hour to cook. Once it's finished cooking, add 2 tablespoons butter, fluff with a fork, remove from heat, return the lid, and set aside.

Celebration Squash
1. To make it easier to cut each squash, microwave each one for about 2 to 3 minutes to soften.

2. Carefully slice each squash lengthwise through one of the furrows (or ridges).
3. Use a spoon to scrape out the pulp and seeds from the center.
4. Brush olive oil over the cut edge and inside the squash with a basting brush; then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the parchment paper.
5. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Then turn each over (cut side up) and roast in the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes; or until the inside is fork-tender.

Shallot, Pecan & Cranberry Topping
1. While the squash bakes and the rice simmers, prepare the shallots.

2. In a medium skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat, add shallots; season with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened. Stir in garlic cloves, pecans, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and parsley. Continue to stir and cook for about 5 minutes.

   
NOTE: You can also combine this topping mixture with the cooked rice.

Assembly
Pull the squash from the oven, place one squash on each plate, and then stuff each one with wild rice and top with a heaping scoop of the shallot, pecan, pumpkin, and cranberry mixture. Top with sprigs of rosemary and thyme.

Roasted Squash Seeds
Created by: The Spruce Eats

Roasted squash seeds are great for eating by the handful and are perfect toppings for salads or soups, too.

Ingredients:
1 squash
1 TBSP salt
1 3/4 TBSP melted unsalted butter, or olive oil

Instructions:
1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Gather seeds from squash, separating them from the stringy flesh, and place them in a colander. Rinse the seeds thoroughly in a colander and pick away any excess squash flesh still clinging to the seeds squash seeds in a colander.

2. Once clean, spread the seeds out in an even layer on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and allow them to dry. Seeds can be patted dry, but they roast much better when they are completely dry. This is a good step to reach before you continue to prepare the main flesh of your squash in whatever recipe you prefer. The seeds can be allowed to dry for 30 minutes to several hours before you go on to the roasting step squash seeds on a paper towel.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 275 F. Toss the dry squash seeds with salt and butter and place in a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place in the oven and bake until the seeds begin to turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes squash seeds on a baking sheet.
4. When you remove them from the oven, agitate the pan a bit to loosen them. Allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving as they will become crisper as they cool.