cooking.nytimes.com

Fried Winter Squash With Mint

5.0(55)

In Sicily this dish, which I find to be irresistible as a side dish and a snack, is served both hot and at room temperature. If you make it for Thanksgiving and don’t want to be in the kitchen frying squash at the last minute, opt for the room-temperature version. Or fry the squash ahead of time and warm in a low oven. The recipe works equally well with butternut and starchier squash like kabocha.

by Martha Rose Shulman·published 2011-11-01

Open original recipe

ItalianVegetables, Side Dish

Servings

(4–6)

Total time

15 min

Calories / serving

122 kcal

Ingredients (7)

serves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oilextra-virgin-olive-oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushedgarlic
1 1/2 pounds peeled, seeded winter squash, like kabocha or butternut, cut in slices 1/4 inch thick by 2 or 3 inches long
Saltsalt
freshly ground pepperpepper
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus additional leaves for garnishmint
Pomegranate seeds for garnishpomegranate

Instructions (2 steps)

01Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Remove the garlic from the oil and discard.
02Cook the squash slices in the hot oil, adding only 1 layer of slices at a time to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until squash is lightly browned on the first side, and flip over using a spatula or tongs. Cook until squash is lightly browned on the other side and tender all the way through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer first to paper towels to drain, then to a platter. Repeat until all of the squash is used up. Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint, garnish with whole mint leaves and pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Pantry check

Data quality

servings.value✓

times.totalMinutes✓

nutrition.calories✓

recipeCuisine✓

recipeCategory✓

rating✓

description✓

image (URL only)✓

Rich recipe — supports nutrition-aware planning.