Summer squash roasted in mustard and sherry vinegar. Sweet and fragrant amaranth leaves. Salty black olives. Summer on a plate? Yes!
Summer squash is now all over the greenmarket, in stunning shades of green and yellow. Some, of course, have squash blossoms at their ends. If you savor squash blossoms and their short season, try my Sautéed Squash Blossoms with Cashew-Chive Filling!
I saw these yellow squash and had to have them. Then I saw purple amaranth leaves, and the recipe came together. I wanted to roast the squash in a mix of dijon mustard, sherry vinegar and olive oil. When you roast vegetables or meat in mustard, the mustard caramelizes a bit and adds delicious depth of flavor. Plus the piquant sherry vinegar brings a perfect acidity to the dish.
Any summer squash would work well here! And you could roast any vegetable or meat in the the dijon-sherry sauce, as well.
Red Amaranth leaves, or Chinese Spinach, are quite similar to spinach—but prettier! They have a sweet and earthy, but overall mild, flavor. Another herb, like basil, thyme or parsley, could easily substitute red amaranth here.
The black olives add that salty note that, really, every dish needs. I chose Black Botija Olives, which are deliciously chewy. But Nicoise or castelvetrano olives would also work well in this dish.
This dish will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but I recommend eating it the day it’s made to enjoy the caramelization of the sherry-mustard sauce! You can even see some on my fork in the photo above!
The necessary tool for this recipe is only a baking dish. Enjoy, and leave a comment below if you try it. Or tag me on Instagram if you post it!
Summer squash roasted in mustard and sherry vinegar. Sweet and fragrant amaranth leaves. Salty black olives. Summer on a plate? Yes!
10 minutes
35 minutes
45 minutes
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425F. Wash the squash and slice them in half lengthwise. Place the squash in a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with the cut side down.
Step 2
In a small bowl, add the mustard and vinegar. Whisk to mix. Add the maple syrup, and mix. Slowly stream in the olive oil, and whisk to combine. Add the salt and taste for salt and acidity.
Step 3
Pour the sauce on the sliced squash, saving a little to drizzle on the finished product (or, if you like, double the sauce recipe to have more for dipping).
Step 4
Add the baking dish to a 425F oven, and roast for 35 minutes, or until the squash are soft but still holding their shape. Remove from the oven, and carefully transfer to a serving dish, making sure to grab all caramelized bits of sauce.
Step 5
Tear the amaranth leaves and sprinkle over the squash. Chop the olives and add to the dish, as well. Finally drizzle with the remaining sauce, and serve. The dish will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but I recommend eating it the day it’s made to enjoy the caramelization of the sherry-mustard sauce!
Leave a Comment