Ode to Butternut {Part One}

 Its officially fall in Southwest Oregon. The weather was sunny with a crisp cool breeze today and Little Miss and I decided to have an adventure while the boys were off at Preschool. We headed out on a country road past fields of llamas and grazing cattle and found ourselves at the most breathtaking place--The Wildrose Vineyard.













We quickly made friends with the owner, Carlos, who was kind enough to show us around and let me take some pictures. We had fun tasting the grapes and breathing in the sweet morning air. Just being in that vineyard transported me back to Argentina. I spent over a year walking daily through similar vineyards in the Mendoza region as a missionary five, maybe it was six...it was several years ago. Tasting the grapes took me back to a place and a people that I love and miss every day. Its crazy how food invokes memories. That is one reason I love cooking food from Argentina. So on with my story.

Last Sunday I arrived at church and found a box full of produce with the sign "TAKE ME" attached.  This is actually quite a common thing but I was overjoyed to see a rare treasure and could not resist snatching it.
Bless you dear soul out there who gave up a beautiful Butternut Squash.

One cold day in Argentina I went to lunch at the home of a young mother from our church. She was busy with her sweet daughters and had turned cooking responsibilities over to her brother who was visiting and happened to be a chef. He made one of the the most delightful meals I've ever had and whats more...it involved squash. I must note here that I fell in love with the Butternut in Argentina. They use it in soups and in the crock-pot with roast and its delicious. This wonderful man boiled the squash and then mashed it like potatoes. He added powdered milk, salt and pepper and the powerhouse spice {NUTMEG}. Nutmeg and Butternut are friends, good friends. Then he made a Milanesa de Pollo (aka chicken fried chicken) and the culinary genious put the two together to make the most beautiful fusion of flavor. After returning home my sister-in-law helped me improve the dish further by roasting the squash and I usually do that now instead of the mash but either are good. So here you go, try it and love it.

 Moe's Butternut Squash and Milanesa de Pollo

{Squash} 

1 medium sized Butternut (cut off rind, gut and cube)
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
salt & pepper
nutmeg
grated Parmesan cheese
{Chicken}
1 to 1 1/2 lbs Chicken Breast Tenderloins
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper
2-3 eggs beaten (may add a little milk)

Place cubed squash in a casserole dish and sprinkle garlic, oil and spices on top (just a dash of nutmeg can really do the trick). Place tin foil over and roast at high heat in oven (400 degrees or so) until tender. When finished grate some fresh Parmesan on top and let melt before serving (I've used Romano before too).

Mix bread crumbs (cracker crumbs are tasty too--I use Ritz) with oregano, salt and pepper, and lemon zest. Pound your chicken strips (I put wax paper over them so they don't splatter). Dip in egg and then coat well with crumbs. Fry in oil till cooked through and golden brown. Serve with lemons {lemon and chicken are good friends} to squeeze on the meat. Take a piece of chicken and a piece of butternut together on your fork, the flavor together is what really makes this AMAZING. Happy Fall!

P.S. For a small family like ours (2 adults, 3 kiddos) and with children who still think they hate squash no matter what...the poor things, we will have left overs and that is exciting because the leftovers are the key ingredient in another dynamite dish that I will share with you in my next post...Be excited!