Roasted Delicata, Arugula and Parmesan Polenta

Craving a vegetarian meal? Or are you a vegetarian?  Well this hardy and multidimensional meal will fill you with happy fall foods.  Somehow I have gotten through life without knowing of or ever tasting a delicata squash...  Now don't get me wrong, I am not new to squash, I absolutely love squash and try to find opportunities to make it all the time.  So when I heard of a squash that you eat the skin of, well I just HAD TO HAVE IT.  Upon buying a single delicata squash the librarian in me said "ok Kirsten time to research the hell out of this squash and create a list of at least 10 recipes that you can refer to for the next time you encounter this squash." So I did, and this was the first recipe I tried off my list and holy cow people are right, all you really need to do is roast the squash and eat it.  I'm not so good at keeping it simple so I followed this recipe from Delementals.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

1 delicata squash; halved, seeds removed and sliced in to 1/4″ slices
1 bunch of arugula; torn in to bite size pieces
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal (Polenta)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup cooked Du Puy Lentils
½ cup milk
4 tbs olive oil
1 tbs champagne vinegar
1 tsp stone ground mustard
Kosher Salt


The Process
 
1.) Preheat oven to 350°.  Toss the squash slices with the cooking olive oil and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt.  Spread in to a single layer on a roasting pan.

2.)  Bake for 20 minutes, or until tender and beginning to brown.  While the squash is roasting, cook the polenta.  Bring the broth or stock and a couple pinches of kosher salt to a boil.  Pour the cornmeal in to the broth in a steady stream, whisking constantly

3.)  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is nearly tender.  Add the milk to the polenta and continue to simmer until polenta is cooked through, and just beginning to set up.  Stir in the Parmesan. Cover and remove from heat until ready to serve.

4.)Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and good quality olive oil, along with a pinch or two of kosher salt (to taste).  Toss the vinaigrette with the Arugula.

5.)  To serve: spread the polenta on the plate, top with arugula – then Lentils and the roasted Delicata Squash slices.