Ingredients
- plain yogurt, whole milk or low fat, or Greek for easier process) 3/2 cups
- garlic clove, small, minced 2
- lemon zest, finely grated 1 tbs
- winter squash 2 lbs
- white wine vinegar 2 tbs
- walnuts, lightly toasted 1/4 cups
- butternut squash oil or pumpkin seed oil (optional) some
- coriander seeds 1/4 tsp
- cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
- cardamom pods, green or black 2
- hot green chiles (serrano), deribbed, seeded, roughly chopped, fresh 2
- cilantro leaves 1 cups
- parsley leaves 1 cups
- cloves, ground a pinch
- lemon juice 1/2 tbs
- extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cups
- yields 4
Spiced green sauce
- Put the coriander, cumin, and cardamom into a dry skillet. Toast the spices lightly over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently until they become fragrant, about 4 minutes. Dump onto a plate to cool, and then grind finely with a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle.
- Put the chiles (deribbed, seeded, and roughly chopped) and a garlic clove (smashed and peeled) in a food processor, and pulse a few times until they are fairly fine. Add the cilantro, parsley, toasted seeds. ground cloves, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 /2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Pulse until all is finely chopped into a rough puree. With the motor running, drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stop the processor before the sauce is completely blended and smooth for a slightly bitty texture.
- Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, lemon juice, or any of the spices.
Can store in the refrigerator for a week. Good on vegetables, grilled meats, and snacks of all kinds
Toasted walnuts
Also just works for most nuts and seeds to make them a bit tastier
- Head the oven to 350ºF.
- Spread the walnuts on a pan in a single layer on a pie plate or a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake until you smell the nuttiness and the color is deepening slightly, 6-8 minutes. Doneness is a bit tricky to evaluate, easy enoug to take from the oven, let cool, taste one, and pop it back into the oven if it could use a bit more time
The Full Deal
- Drain whey from yogurt - line a sieve with dampened cheesecloth and set over a bowl, or use paper coffee filters, and put yogurt on top. Let sit for 1 hour (longer if using coffee filters, can do overnight in the fridge). OR just get store-bought labneh or Greek yogurt.
- Mix sauce - mix drained yogurt with 1 small minced garlic clove 1/2 tsp lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- Heat oven to 400ºF
- Squash - Trim top and bottom of squash and peel away skin with paring knife or sturdy peeler. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and fibers, and cut the squash into 1/2-inch slices.
- Toss - toss the squash in large bowl or baking sheet with 2 tbs of olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
- Roast - Spread out on one or two baking sheets, and roast until tender and nicely browned on the underside, 20-40 minutes
- Plate - Arrange squash on platter, spoon a ribbon of yogurt on top, sprinkle with vinegar, drizzle/spoon the green sauce, scatter the walnuts and finish with a few drops of squash or olive oil.