It's the time of year where squash are abundant.  They always seem like a hassle to prepare, and there doesn't seem to be a wide variety of dishes either.  I go to the market with that attitude that I'll pick up an ingredient that I've never used before- something everyone should do every full moon.  I walk by the squash and pause.  Aren't these all for show and decor?  I think back to my adventures at Chicago Gourmet.  Dirk appears to me like post mortem Obi-Wan Kenobe.  "Roast it whole Mike."  I know what I have to do- delicata squash procured.

After being roasted- looks pretty much the same.

The squash sticker has instructions.  Cut in half and remove seeds.  Bake cut side down in a baking dish at 350 for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped nuts.  Yawn.

Since I hate being told what to do, I roast it whole at 350 for 75 minutes- which is how I roast pretty much everything [at varying time lengths].  I do however, prepare it with cinnamon.  I have to say it's pretty bad- not nearly as sweet as its cousins.  I also sample it plain and find that it tasted a lot like corn, but with the texture of a squash.  This is also pretty gross, but I finish it so I can try to fully understand my enemy.

New goal- make something delicious out of delicata squash.  I start to think about what goes well with corn.  Corn is an ingredient I associate most with Mexican cuisine.  I think about different masa harina dishes and if maybe I could invert or deconstruct one of them.  This fails.  A mash crosses the mind- too simple and boring.  But what if, I make a delicata squash cake- and put something on top of it?  Sounds good- now just to figure out what.

Chorizo is my favorite Mexican protein.  I decide to use this because at the end of the day, if everything sucks, there will still be chorizo, and it will be delicious.  These two components aren't enough to make the dish substantial.  I think about mixing proteins.  Chorizo goes great with select molluscs and light white fish- but I'm not going to prepare fish.  Chicken is a good white meat so I buy some drumsticks, which I realize are dark.  The dish still needs finishing touches.  Chopped raw white onion, cilantro, and lime juice- exactly how I enjoy my chorizo tacos.  Kitchen time.

First thing to do is get the squash roasting- twiddle thumbs.  With about 20 minutes to go I get the chicken out of the fridge to prep, season, and warm up a little.  When working with chicken legs, I cut the ends off to make a chicken 'lollipop.'  Do this with a knife you hate, proper butcher knife or cleaver.  Do not use your expensive Shun Elite 8" chef knife.  While Shuns are incredibly sharp and awesome, it turns out they have limits when misused.  I chip my knife in at least four places- don't let it happen to you.  The utility of preparing the chicken this way is not only does this look cool, but allows the chicken to cook much faster.  Basic salt and pepper seasonings on the chicken, light on the chili powder, because the chorizo, which is very seasoned, will act like a gravy over the whole dish.

When the squash is done roasting- I split it open and spoon out the guts.  Peanut gallery- don't be too quick to throw the guts out.  If you're ever making a sauce, you can put them in as a thickening agent- which will help create the illusion of butter without using any (another tidbit I learned from Dirk).  It's a flavor enhancing, waistline saving trick that also reduces wasted product.

After scooping out the meat of the squash, I season with salt, pepper, and chili powder- drizzle in some olive oil to make it smooth- then mash.  After mashing I form a little cake.  Tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet and a crispy delicata cake is done- did you really expect me to bake?. 

While the cake is frying I start the chorizo.  I use beef chorizo because it tastes good and has 1/3 less fat than pork chorizo.  While the chorizo is cooking in the pan, I add a slurry to turn it into a chorizo gravy.  I was saving this idea for a spin on biscuits and gravy, but it was needed now.

So I construct- warm crispy delicata cake, perfectly browned chicken lollipop, smothered in spicy chorizo gravy, topped with crisp white onion, refreshing cilantro, and cut with the bright flavor of lime.  It looks pretty decent too.

In short-

Delicata Squash Cake with Chicken and Chorizo

• Delicata Squash (1 squash = 1 cake)
• Chorizo
• Chicken Legs
• Chili powder (1 Tbl per cake)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lime
• Onion
• Cilantro for garnish
• Slurry (2 Tbl per 4 oz of chorizo)

1. Roast the squash in a 350 oven for 75 minutes.
2. While the squash is roasting, prepare the chicken legs into lollipops, season with salt, pepper, and chili powder.
3. Put oil in a heavy bottomed pan and brown the chicken legs on medium high heat. (You can always finish the chicken in the oven)
4. Mash the squash with salt, pepper, chili powder, and olive oil.  Form patties.
5. Start browning the chorizo in another pan, or the same one as the chicken.
6. Preheat a non-stick skillet with 1 Tbl of oil.  Fry the patties.
7. When you flip the patty, add the slurry to the chorizo and stir. 
8. Construct the dish- cake on the bottom, chicken lollipop on top, cover with chorizo gravy, then garnish with onion, cilantro, and lime.
9. Devour.

Update on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 12:42AM by Stash

Not long after posting, I got a great e-mail of delicata facts, compliments of Chef E.

Delicata is an heirloom squash, and since it’s an heirloom veggie; it’s grown for flavor and not for mass-shipping; the thin skin of this squash made it harder to transport thousands of miles from where it was grown. Consequently it has been largely ignored for the last 75 years or so. It’s gaining popularity now, so you have a good chance of finding it at your local store or farmers market.

Also, you can eat the skin after baking.  Thanks!