Garlic Delicata

Garlic Delicata Squash Haiku: "Didn't cut it up. Sliced lengthwise, and left whole. Why remove the peel?" We love the peel on delicata squash, and cutting it only once lengthwise (and removing the seeds, of course) makes it easier to roast, and then you can slice what you want easily for serving. Unfortunately taste-wise, we thought 3 cloves of garlic was too much (and we LOVE garlic in everything). It's such a mild and sweet-tasting squash, that the next time we prepared it, we kept it simple w/ just the olive oil and a little salt and pepper and were much happier.

Delicata squash is so beautiful with its variegated colors that I thought it a shame to peel and slice it as the recipe directs. So I cut it in half lengthwise, then baked it cut side down in a little water in a shallow roasting pan - 375 degrees, about 25 minutes. I then drained the water and returned the squash to the pan, cut side up. I filled the cavity with melted butter I had infused with fresh, minced garlic, and freshly ground pepper, then gave it a sprinkle of paprika for color. I returned it to the oven for another 5 mintues, then sprinkled it with the fresh parsley. I served each plate with an unpeeled half and it was SO pretty! I love squash, both summer and winter varieties, but had never had delicata. Hubs, on the other hand, doesn't really care for it - until now. We found this to be similar to butternut or acorn squash, but drier, not as sweet and with somewhat nutty undertones. We both loved it and, to my surprise, hubs said he wants to go back to buy three more!