Holiday Entertaining: Roast Butternut Squash with Grapes and Sage Recipe from Olaiya Land
Image courtesy of Olaiya LandIf you need an idea for a good dish to serve when entertaining, a safe bet is to ask a caterer. Not only do they have loads of experience with the logistics of making food for parties, their bread and butter is ensuring everyone leaves happy and satisfied with what was served.
So I was excited to get this recipe for Roast Butternut Squash with Grapes and Sage from Seattle caterer and cooking instructor Olaiya Land for Holiday Entertaining Week. She thought this recipe would be a great one for holiday entertaining. It looks to be flavorful and sophisticated but the process is relatively simple: just roast the ingredients for about an hour, transfer to a platter, sprinkle with some tastiness, and serve.
As this recipe selection demonstrates, Olaiya focuses on “fresh, seasonal, down-to-earth and delicious” food, and often offers vegetarian options. She has cooked at local restaurants La Medusa and Boat Street Kitchen, and notes in her bio that “Susan Kaplan and Renee Erickson at the Boat Street have been especially wonderful teachers and mentors; their ‘simple, sturdy, luscious food’ has definitely influenced my own style and sensibility.”
You can learn more about Olaiya in this podcast with PCC’s Karen Gaudette (which also includes some of her ideas about holiday baking and the value of knife skills).
In addition to her catering business, Olaiya teaches at PCC Natural Markets, Pacific Culinary Studios and Dog Mountain Farms, and offers her own classes that meet at Delancey in Ballard. Here’s a quick list of some of her upcoming classes – but sign up soon! As of this posting, some of them are looking close to full! Her fall soup classes at PCC and vegetarian holiday class at Delancey are already all full right now, so you know they’re popular! And plan ahead – her “Misunderstood Vegetables” class next year sounds like a great topic.
- 10/25: French Bistro – Delancey
- 11/9: New Thanksgiving Classics – Pacific Culinary Studio/Lynnwood
- 11/15: French Bistro – Delancey
- 11/18: Holiday Cookie Workshop – Pacific Culinary Studio/Lynnwood
- 11/29: Homemade Holiday Gifts Workshop - Delancey
- 11/30: Home for the Holidays Gift Class - PCC Edmonds
- 12/1: Home for the Holidays Gift Class - PCC West Seattle
- 12/6: Homemade Holiday Gifts Workshop - Delancey
- 12/8: Home for the Holidays Gift Class - PCC Issaquah
- 12/14: Home for the Holidays Gift Class - PCC Greenlake
- 12/15: Home for the Holidays Gift Class - PCC Redmond
- 1/12/11: Hearty Soups and Stews - Pacific Culinary Studio/Lynnwood
- 2/17/11: Misunderstood Vegetables - Pacific Culinary Studio/Lynnwood
Thank you for the recipe, Olaiya!
Roast Butternut Squash with Grapes and Sage
From Olaiya Land, adapted from Bon Appétit
Serves 6
- 1 2 1/4 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces red grapes (about 1 1/2 cups), preferably seedless
- 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- grated parmesan for serving (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine squash, grapes, onion and sage on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and butter and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread squash mixture out on sheet pan.
- Roast until squash and onions are golden brown and grapes are lightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and parmesan (if using). Serve immediately.
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We DO have space available in most of Olaiya's upcoming "Home for the Holidays" classes at PCC Cooks. For Winter 2011, she will be teaching "Feast on This", "Hearty Pasta Dishes," "Winter Soups and Stews" and "French Country Cooking" (The Winter schedule will be open for registration Nov. 29th at www.pcccooks.com