Field of Science

Grilled winter squash & marinated green beans

The Phactors cooked a large banana squash today.  Three cups of cubes were saved for making some curried squash soup.  Most of the rest was steamed and frozen for making pies and other items.  The remainder (it was big) was cut into 1" by 3" long pieces (unpeeled) and then microwaved for about 6 mins, until just tender.  These pieces were then lightly coated with melted butter, then salted and peppered.  Later these pieces of squash were grilled while a nice piece of marinated salmon was cooking.  A few minutes on a side gave the squash a nice darker orange color with a bit of a carmelized surface.  It dried out the flesh just a little that made it denser, nuttier, and totally delicious.  Lovely.  And a nice complement to the salmon and some marinated green beans that were a bit too big for eating as is.  Here's how.  Steam one pound of green beans until tender.  The marinade is 1 cup of Italian salad dressing, 1/2 cup of dry white wine, 1 TBSP of tarragon vinegar, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1 TBSP Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp pepper.  Whisk together and put the hot steamed beans into the marinade, stir gently, and let set for 30-60 mins.  Best overnight, but ready to eat after an hour.  Garnish beans with strips of roasted pimento.  Beans will store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.  Once marinated 4 pounds of beans for a garden party and they disappeared like magic.

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