1. 03 November 2009 · 04:46 PM ·

    Taco 007: Autumn Squash Tacos


    photo by: Aida Mollenkamp, Chow

    As has been mentioned in these pages previously, I volunteer a few hours a week at a local produce operation packing up the boxes of farm-grown goodness for customers. One of the advantages of getting all “hands on” with the veg is learning about new things that I have never tried before. As a volunteer, sometimes I also get sent home with a little extra this or that which I never planned to have in the kitchen. This is how today’s taco began.

    In general, I love squash. They are the very flavor of autumn. If there are pumpkins on neighborhood stoops, I want some roasty, sweet, orange bits to eat. Pumpkin and butternut seem to vie for most popular on the table and both are certainly delicious. However, we did not have extra butternuts or pumpkins last week. Instead, there was a glut of delicatas - a type of squash I was aware of but had never sampled.

    Delicata squash is more mild in flavor than butternut and less sweet. This actually makes for a rather good taco filling as it really takes on the spices and seasonings you give it - sort of like tofu, though not as bland as that to start - but unlike tofu maintains a sturdy, meaty texture. In short, it turns out that it makes a really good taco filling.

    That said, I think I will be doing another experiment in squash tacos sometime this season. The recipient I followed is cooked completely on the stovetop, but I think it would really improve with roasting the squash in the oven. Roasting, however, will have to wait until we get some actual autumn weather out here because it is 73F and sunny and my apartment does not have air con. (Side note: I am going back to the East Coast for an extended visit in mere weeks. Cannot wait.)

    Spiced Delicata Squash and Mushroom Tacos - Adapted from Aida Mollenkamp for Chow.com

    INGREDIENTS
    1 delicata squash
    1 cup cremini mushrooms (chopped)
    1 tbs vegetable oil
    1/2 red onion
    1 tsp New Mexico chilie powder
    1/2 tsp pasilla chilie powder
    salt
    1/2 cup vegetable broth
    Bufalo Chipotle Sauce
    goat cheese
    corn tortillas

    PROCEDURE
    1. Peel squash (with delicata this is easy to do with a standard peeler) and chop into small cubes.
    2. Heat oil in a large, wide pan over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, spices, and salt.
    3. Cook the onion until they become soft and have given off a bit of liquid.
    4. Add the squash and mushrooms to the pan, followed by broth. Stir together until everything is moist and combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and ready to eat.
    5. Smear some Bufalo on a tortilla, fill with squash and mushrooms, and top with a wee crumble of goat cheese.