I think I've posted a squash gratin before but this one is different! This past weekend was the Canadian Thanksgiving and my brother hosted his first Turkey dinner. I was told to bring a squash dish. I hope you enjoy it if you try it!
Squash, Pear and Onion Gratin
½ Butternut Squash
½ red onion
2-3 pears
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon basil
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Directions:
1.Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove and discard seeds, peel and thinly slice crosswise. Set aside.
2. Thinly slice pears. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl stir together the bread crumbs, cheese and basil. Set aside.
4. Cook onion rings in butter for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender.
5. Arrange squash slices in bottom of an 8x8x2 inch glass baking dish. Top with pear slices. Repeat layers. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper. Cover with the cooked onions.
6. Bake, covered in a 350F oven for 45 minutes or until nearly tender.
7. Take out of oven and sprinkle bread crumb mixture over top. (I added little bits of butter as well but you could always melt a tablespoon or two of butter and pour over the top.)
8. Bake, uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes. The squash should be fork tender.
Hints:
1. Depending on the size of the squash or size of the pan you may want to use a whole squash.
2. Depending on the size of dish you use, you might want a whole red onion.
3. I peeled my pears but you don’t have to.
4. Romano cheese is a very strong flavour so you could use parmesan for a slightly lighter taste. Another suggestion is that if you’d like a more melted cheese effect, you could use mozzarella.
"Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized."
