“This simple technique for cooking squash is quick and easy. Serve the slices on salads, float them on top of soup, or stack them on corn, bean, and wild rice cakes.” —Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley in their 2018 Beard Award–winning cookbook, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen
Yield
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 medium (about 2 pounds) winter squash such as butternut or acorn
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Coarse salt
- Pinch sumac
- 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 6 fried sage leaves
- Toasted squash, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds, for garnish
Method
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut the squash from top to bottom into thin slices about 1/4-inch-thick. Brush the slices with a little of the oil and sprinkle with the salt and sumac.
Heat a griddle or heavy skillet and lightly grease it with the remaining oil. Griddle the squash slices until nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes per side. Brush the finished squash with the maple syrup. Sprinkle with the coarse salt, garnish with the fried sage leaves and toasted seeds. Then serve as:
- A snack right off the griddle
- A base for bean cakes
- A garnish for soups and stews
- A garnish for salads
--
From The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley (University of Minnesota Press, 2017). Copyright 2017 Ghost Dancer, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the University of Minnesota Press.
https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/griddled-maple-squash