Roasted Koginut Squash and Persimmon-Pomegranate Salsa

BY SUZANNE GOIN

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

ROASTED KOGINUT SQUASH

2 Robin’s Koginut squash, seeded and cut into 11⁄2-inch wedges (skin on)
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves
11⁄4 cup Robin’s Koginut squash purée (see recipe)
4 ounces assorted bitter greens such as young dandelion, radicchio, treviso, young kale and mizuna
1 cup persimmon-pomegranate salsa (see recipe)

KOGINUT SQUASH PURÉE

1 small Robin’s Koginut squash (approximately 1½ pounds),
 peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves
1 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sliced sage

RECIPE

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• To make the salsa, combine the shallots, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the pomegranate molasses, then the olive oil. Stir in the pomegranate seeds and taste; season further if necessary, then sprinkle in the parsley. Set aside.
• To make the brown butter purée, toss the cubed squash with the olive oil, salt, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and thyme on a large baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast about 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
• Cook the butter in a saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Once the butter has browned, remove the pan from the stove, set aside and wait two minutes. Add the sage to the pan. (Be careful, as the butter will be hot and may foam up slightly.)
• Warm the cream in a small saucepan and set aside.
• Place half the cooked squash, half the sage brown butter and half the cream in a food processor, and purée until the mixture has reached a smooth consistency. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the purée to a large mixing bowl. Place the remaining squash, butter, and cream in the food processor and pulse a few times until it has reached a chunky consistency.
• Add this to the smooth purée and fold the two batches together with a rubber spatula. Taste, and season further if necessary.
• For the roasted squash, toss the squash wedges with the olive oil, salt, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and thyme. Place the squash flat on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife.
• Warm the squash purée in a small pot over medium heat. Once heated through, spoon approximately 3 tablespoons of the purée onto each plate, spreading it with the back of the spoon.
• Arrange 3 pieces of roasted squash over the purée on each plate, with some of the slices on their sides and others standing up. Scatter the greens among the wedges then spoon a generous amount of the persimmon-pomegranate salsa over and around the squash.