Spring is around the corner, but it’s still brisk and breezy here in the Bay Area. So I decided to prepare a hearty stew to help fight the chill – namely, Chris Morocco’s squash au vin.
As soon as I spotted a photo of the dish on Instagram, I was compelled to recreate it. First, the entrée features a few of my favorite ingredients: fungi, barley and two types of squash (kabocha and delicata). And second, it’s a one-pot meal, so clean-up is a breeze.
Squash au vin is relatively quick to put together, too. The most time-consuming task is cutting all the vegetables, particularly those with thick skins. But once that’s done, assembly is a breeze. Also worth noting is that a modest amount of butter and miso add incredible richness and depth to the finished product.
Serve squash au vin as is or alongside crusty bread for dunking. I promise it’ll warm you to the core – and you won’t miss the poultry.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 shallots, halved lengthwise
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced + 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups dry white wine
- ¾ cup pearl barley
- 3 tablespoons red or white miso (see notes)
- 6 cups water
- 1 small kabocha squash (about 3 pounds), halved, seeded and cut into 2"-thick wedges
- 2 small delicata squashes (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 2"-thick wedges
- 2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and then cut diagonally into 1" pieces
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- finely grated zest of ½ lemon
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and toss to coat. Cook, without stirring, until the mushrooms start to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Stir mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Let pot cool for 2 minutes
- Heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add onion and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add sliced garlic and butter and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add barley, miso and water; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Add kabocha squash, delicata squashes and carrots. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add prepared mushrooms and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic.
