Pecan Crusted Trout with Delicata Squash Pasta

Ever had delicata squash? It's lighter and creamier than many others with a sweet aftertaste. It is absolutely perfect in soups, pastas, or roasted and stuffed. While perhaps not one of the most commonly used squashes, I find it delicious and encourage all squash aficionados and even mild fans to step out of their normal pattern and try the many delicious varieties that are available to you each fall!

This fall/winter recipe features fresh delicata squash in a pasta with sage, pine nuts, and just enough light sauce to barely coat your noodles. Although the pasta is easily enough for a meal, I also made freshly crusted trout. That's right - purchase some pecans and start crushing them so you, too, can make this crunchy and delectable trout at home.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cost: $15.13



Delicata Squash Pasta
Time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:
2 delicata squash (should be about 3 c when chopped and roasted)
1 c sweet onion (Vidalia), diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 tsp olive oil
1/2 c fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 box of whole wheat pasta
3/4 c pine nuts
1/2 c parmesan, grated
1/3 c fat free half and half

Get your oven pre-heating to 375 degrees.

Peel the delicata squash, scoop out the strings/seeds in the middle. Chop the rest into about 1/2" cubes (or slightly larger.) Put the squash cubes in a bowl. Add the onion and garlic. Sprinkle on the pepper. Add 2 tsp of olive oil and toss well until evenly coated. Finally, add half of the fresh sage leaves and toss well again.

Grease a cookie sheet or glass baking dish and spread the squash mixture evenly, in just a single layer, on the sheet or dish. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. At the end of that time, the squash should be quite tender.

Now, get some water boiling and cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. You'll need the pasta and squash mixture for the rest of the recipe, so make sure those are ready before continuing. (If you are making other dishes to go with the meal, such as the fish below, now would be a good time to prep those.)

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the final tablespoon of olive oil, heating and swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, drop in the minced sage leaves and saute for 1 minute. They should turn darker and shrivel a bit. Add the pasta. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes. You want the pasta to start getting a tiny bit crispy on some of the edges so let it saute, stirring just enough to prevent burning, so the pasta has time to crisp slightly.

Add the squash mixture and toss well. Cook for another 3 minutes. As you stir, you can lightly smash some of the larger pieces of squash so you don't have any large chunks in the pasta.

Add the pine nuts and stir. Then, add the parmesan cheese and fat free half and half. Stir well to incorporate. The half and half should mix in with the vegetables and pasta, almost becoming absorbed so there is no actual liquid bubbling around. Let any extra liquid cook off for a couple minutes and then remove from the heat and serve hot.

Pecan Crusted Trout
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/3 c pecans (usually purchased halved)
1/4 c panko
1/2 tsp green pepper (freshly ground)
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb trout
1/2 tsp black pepper

Chop the pecans until finely ground using a food processor. Put them in a shallow dish or bowl (I used a pie pan) with the panko and green pepper. Mix well.

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and let that heat, swirling to coat.

Sprinkle your trout fillets evenly with the black pepper. Then, take each fillet and press it, non-skin side down, into the pecan mixture. Press until the fillet is coated with the nut mixture.

Place the fillets in the pan, nut side-down. Cook for 3 minutes and then carefully flip (to avoid dislodging nuts) and cook for another 5 minutes with the skin down. The little nut bits will burn, so keep any eye on them.

When the fish is cooked through, remove from the heat and enjoy this delight.