Butternut Squash with White Beans and Sage

When I look at a butternut squash I see two recipes. The lower bulb part Ill seed and season with olive oil, salt and pepper and perhaps homemade sambar or garam masala and roast until tender. But the upper part is solid squash, a real treat when you want to peel and cube squash for risotto or curry, soup or stew.

I had one lone can of cannellini beans and a butternut squash. I knew I could turn these into two meals simultaneously. Oh, and on our way down the driveway to take a walk I spotted our sage plants, still with plenty of green leaves. Sage would be the perfect herb for the beans and squash.

Like I said above, the lower part of the squash I seeded, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and a dusting of sambar powder and roasted at 400F until tender, roughly 30 minutes.

The remaining squash I peeled, sliced into slabs, sliced the slabs into sticks and the sticks into cubes. In a large non-stick pan I sauteed the squash, three cloves of garlic (chopped), and one medium onion (chopped) in olive oil for about ten minutes. I then added about 1/4 cup of water and covered the pan with a lid, turned down the heat to low and let this simmer for about fifteen minutes. I then seasoned with salt, pepper, a heaping tablespoon of chopped fresh sage, and one seeded jalapeno pepper. The pepper is not for heat (that's why I seeded it) but for color and a bit of crunch. I nice contrast to the soft squash and beans. Oh, yeah, now is when I added one 15oz. can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans. Give this all a good mix and let it simmer for another ten minutes. If it dries out, add another 1/4 cup of water. Be sure to taste and, most likely, re-season - beans absorb salt like crazy.

Serve this immediately or at least warm. A sprinkle of a salty dry cheese is nice too.