Roasted Butternut Squash & Toasted Farro with Curried Brown Butter

By stancec44

For Jeanne and I, this turns out to be a complete meal (bread optional) even without any additional protein. But we have made this with sliced steak or chicken added on top and that's good too.

The original recipe from food52 is here, an updated version with my alterations is below.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
• Canola/Vegetable oil (T or 2?, I don't usually measure here)
• Spicy rub of some type* (t or 2?, again I tend not to measure this)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 teaspoons madras curry powder
• 3/4 cups uncooked pearled farro
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cherries, cranberries, or golden raisins**
• 2 cups greens (mizuna or arugula recommended)
• Some feta cheese, sliced
• Some quick pickled onions are good to add to this too.

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

*I tend to use either a cajun rub/seasoning or spicy blackened rub/seasoning. Anything that has a little heat to counteract the sweetness of the squash. You could easily just make something up off hand with some cayenne and whatever else. Or you could use more curry powder, maybe with a little added cayenne or other chili powder. The original recipe tossed the squash with additional brown butter and curry powder, but I personally liked it more with oil and a spicy seasoning instead.

**Jeanne is picky about dried fruit, so I tend to save some of the farro cooking liquid and plump these on the side for myself.

Heat oven to 425°F. Line sheet pan with parchment (or however you like to prepare a pan to roast vegetables. I use a silpat instead of parchment or skip the liner all together and use sheet pan dedicated to roasting).

Peel the butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Separate the long neck of the squash from the round base. Cut the neck again in half lengthwise (you’ll have four segments). Working with one segment at a time, thinly slice crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Cut the rounded end of the squash into similarly-sized slices. Add the squash and shallots to the prepared sheet pan. Lightly coat with oil and your seasoning rub, and toss to distribute. If the rub is light on salt, I add a little extra.

In a 2 to 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook until it turns brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom so they don’t burn. Off the heat, add the curry powder and stir well to incorporate.

Roast the squash and shallots for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the squash is just tender. Add the almonds to the sheet pan, and continue roasting for another 5 minutes to 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove the pan from the oven.

While the squash and shallots are roasting, return the saucepan to medium heat, and add the farro to the curried brown butter, stirring to coat the grains evenly. Cook, stirring frequently, until toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and water to cover the farro by inch or two. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the farro is tender, about 25 minutes.

Drain the farro (reserving some liquid to plump the dried fruit if doing separate), and return to the saucepan. Immediately stir in white wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and dried fruit (which will plump in the warm farro). Let cool for several minutes, then adjust seasoning and acidity to taste.

Once the squash and shallots have cooled for about 5 to 10 minutes, add the farro and then the greens onto the sheet pan. I tend to give it a quick toss or two with a couple of wooden spoons or a spatula, just to lightly mix everything on the sheet pan. Taste again, adding white wine vinegar and salt if needed. Finish with a thin drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, if desired, though I usually find its not needed. Then add a layer of sliced feta, and the pickled onions if using. I serve from the sheet pan, though you could transfer to a platter or bowl if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.