It's Autumn! 2 Ways to Cook 3 Different Kinds of Squash

I came back to Austin to the inviting colors of autumn fruits and vegetables and the not-so-inviting grey skies.

I went to the new Sprouts Farmers Market on Brodie and went giddy over the abundance of gorgeous yellow squash, zucchini, and acorn squash. I was shocked to learn that zucchinis are squashes too, so are pumpkins! I scooped them into my cart and decided I'll sauté the yellow squash and zucchini and re-create the seared scallops on pumpkin dish I had at the Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Dalian, China with an acorn squash instead.

Sautéed Yellow Squash and Zucchini

Ingredients

Yellow Squash

Zucchini

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Rosemary

Thyme

Lavender

This is really light and simple. I sliced the yellow squash and cut the zucchini into sticks, sautéed them in a pan with olive oil, seasoned very lightly with salt and pepper, stirred, then added pinches of rosemary, thyme, and lavender, and gave the whole thing a quick toss.

Sautéed Yellow Squash & Zucchini

Seared Scallops on Baked Acorn Squash with Honey Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients

Scallops

Acorn Squash

Salt & Pepper

White Wine

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Dijon Mustard

Honey

Milk (Heavy Cream works best, but I used Skim Milk)

Truffle Paste (if you have it in your pantry/fridge)

Caviar to Garnish (if you happen to have it...I didn't)

Acorn Squash and Scallops

I got some pretty big scallops, so I halved them then poured a tiny bit of white wine on them and set the dish aside.

I quartered the squash and rubbed olive oil all over the flesh and the skin of the squash so that it wouldn't burn in the oven. I set the squash in a baking dish with a pan of water on the outside and set the whole thing in a 375 degree oven for an hour or so (I really don't remember how long...I just kept checking).

Quartered Acorn Squash Ready for Baking

Next, I lightly seasoned the scallops with salt and pepper and squeezed lemon juice while they browned in the pan. When they're done, I set them on a paper towel.

Sautéed Scallops

While I sautéed the scallops I had a pot going for the mustard sauce. I heated up (medium low heat) whatever juices were left from the dish of raw scallops with some more white wine, added mustard and stirred vigorously, then added honey, then milk, and a little bit of truffle paste last. I turned the heat down to 1 and stirred constantly.

Creamy Honey-Mustard Sauce with Truffle Paste

Seared Scallops on Baked Acorn Squash with Creamy Honey-Mustard and Truffle Sauce

I think pumpkin or butternut squash would've worked better than acorn squash because they have sweeter and creamy texture, but my scallops and sauce were, dare I say, better than the restaurant's in China. Is there a smiley face typing icon for a sheepish grin? :-)