The world's most magical squash

Hasselback honeynut squash

Welcome back to Party of One. I hope everyone is enjoying 2022. It’s a big year for me — I’ll be graduating college in May, and boy am I surprised that the year is among us. The numerals “2022” looked otherworldly to me in high school, but then again so did “2018.” Is this what growing up feels like? Anyway, let’s talk about the thing you signed up for.

Today I’ll be walking you through a meal I made for myself last month — hence the little tail of pom pom garland in the following picture of my picture-taking setup. There’s no natural light in my apartment during the second half of the day, and this meal deserved good lighting so I just had to do some rearranging of furniture.

The history of the honeynut squash

A long time ago I watched an episode of Chef’s Table on Netflix about Dan Barber. He’s the man behind Greenwich Village restaurant Blue Hill (which is currently host to the pop-in Family Meal) and the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Barber and his team at Stone Barns do so many cool things that you should check out here, but for this newsletter’s purpose, I’ll be focusing on Barber’s relationship to the honeynut squash.

The honeynut squash looks like a mini butternut squash. It’s similar in shape and color — essentially the only thing that differentiates the two is their flavors. Thirteen years ago, Dan Barber joked with Cornell University professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Michael Mazourek about making a better butternut squash. The joke was on Barber because Mazourek had already come up with the recipe for one, but seed companies weren’t interested. Mazourek told Bon Appetit that small vegetables don’t go over well with farmers because “runty is bad.” When most farmers in the United States set out to grow a new crop, they tap people like Mazourek to find a seed recipe that will yield thousands of vegetables. Flavors aren’t always top of mind because the average American doesn’t care if their butternut squash tastes like “AMBROSIA,” as Barber put it in an IG post.

chefdanbarber

A post shared by Dan Barber (@chefdanbarber)

Long story short, Barber and Mazourek founded Row 7 Seed Company — a plant breeding company that breeds for flavor, not quantity. The seeds produced by Row 7 are non-GMO, certified organic (there’s a difference, ya know?), and unpatented which is a HUGE deal because patents inhibit biodiversity. (More on seed patents here.) The honeynut squash was the start of Barber and Mazourek’s endeavor to bring farmers in the Northeast better seeds that produce better quality produce. They’re all over the farmers markets in New York, so after my food media professor raved about its flavors, I decided I needed to try one before its season ended. (Season’s over; you’ll have to wait until next year.)

The meal

First off, look at how bright this thing is. Second, I knew I didn’t want to do too much to the squash since all its powers come from its natural flavors. What I did want to do was make the meal special — it is a special squash after all! So I hasselback-ed it by slicing into each half from its top to its bottom without cutting all the way through (tip: place chopsticks or skewers on either side so you don’t accidentally cut all the way through). I baked it and basted it with this butter sauce, and when thirty minutes were up, I was digging into squash heaven.

I took the bag of lentils that has been relaxing in my cabinet for months out of retirement for this meal. Peppery lentils balanced the richness of the squash perfectly — I even finished the lentils with a splash of red wine vinegar and basil for an extra bite. As for the sprouts, I just let them hang out in some olive oil and salt for a bit before throwing them in the oven (set to 425°F).

And finally, the drink — a pomegranate basil mocktail. When you live alone, buying fresh herbs is like playing with fire, so you have to use them in everything. I actually bought the basil with this drink in mind, but I ended up not totally loving the combo. Don’t worry, I had basil on almost every other dish this week. The drink is a mix of pomegranate juice, seltzer, lime juice, and a splash of apple cider vinegar sweetened with a basil-infused maple syrup simple syrup. 🥵 What a mouthful. It was alright. I prefer the cranberry one I shared a few weeks ago.

Being home for the holidays last month was a blessing, but I really missed cooking. Having the chance to sit around a table with people I love is always such a reward, and I hope that the meals I make for myself in 2022 feel similar to family meals at home. Cooking and baking are my biggest forms of self care, and since we’ve found ourselves in a time of isolation once again (unfortunately), I hope we keep in mind the importance of caring for ourselves.

Okay, emotional stuff over. What am I going to do differently with this meal for one? Thanks for asking!

1. Although the squash was DELISH, I’d like to go either 1) simpler and just roast it with some S&P or 2) turn it into a sauce for mac & cheese or other buttery pasta dish.

2. In my opinion, it’s hard to mess up lentils and brussel sprouts. Perhaps a more acidic rendition of the sprouts would work well here — like salt & vinegar brussel sprouts? Idk, what do you think?

3. As for the mocktail, less basil in the simple syrup would do the pomegranate juice a favor.

Before you go, I’d like to share my newsletter goal for the month with you: I’m trying to hit 100 subscribers by the end of January, so it would mean the world to me if you shared my newsletter with one friend. Just ask them to check it out!

Thank you for supporting my work! Happy New Year!