Favorite cold weather recipes (squash & cabbage)

Baked delicata

This is the easiest way we’ve found to prepare delicata squash. Wash your squash, and then slice it lengthwise in half. Scoop out the seeds, and place the squash cut-side down on a greased pan. Drizzle or brush oil over the skin and lightly salt. Bake at 350° until you can slip a knife into the side with no resistance and the cut side begins to turn brown and caramelized. Serve one half per person warm—no need to add butter or brown sugar, since these squash tend to be sweeter and smoother than acorn or others.

A yummy variation: to make baked delicata into an entire meal, sauté/wilt kale with onions and sausage or bacon if you eat it. When serving the delicata, pour the kale/onion/bacon mixture ‘into’ the seed cavity so that the greens overflow onto the plate. We love the sweet and savory combination of the two together and have been known to eat a whole squash each this way at one meal!

Cabbage & egg noodles

We first made this dish after reading about it in Saveur magazine. Apparently this simple combination is a traditional Austrian street food, sold from street carts during the cold winters in Vienna. Anyhow, it sounded so delicious that we tried it and loved loved loved it. To some people, it sounds odd at first, but we’ve won over many converts, including both sets of our parents.

Chop up one large onion. In a large, deep pan, sauté in plenty of butter until the onions are translucent. Add sliced cabbage (savoy or traditional) and stir. Add more butter. Cover and let the cabbage steam. Stir occasionally. You’ll want to let this cook longer than you might expect, until the cabbage is soft and tender.

Meanwhile, boil egg noodles. When done, add them to your pan and stir into the cabbage and onions. Add more butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit on very low heat for another few minutes (softness is the key here).

Serve warm with roasted potatoes, cheese, and/or sausage. We guarantee a warm belly after eating this meal. Yum-my!