Squash & Pork Stir-Fry

I’m sure you’ve rushed around the grocery store thinking you’ve purchased the necessary ingredients to throw together a “quick” weeknight meal. Right? I thought that was the case for me… When  I started to prepare this dish, I realized that I had ground pork instead of pork sausage and butternut instead of kabocha squash. I’m blaming holiday stress and distraction. (Well, truth be told, the squash was a conscious substitution- no fabulous kabocha to be found.)

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, contributed by Chris Morocco. I doubled the recipe, used ground pork instead of pork sausage (oops!), seasoned accordingly, butternut instead of kabocha squash, and cashews instead of peanuts. I also omitted the sugar. I roasted the squash instead of steaming and sautéing it. We let the dish stand alone, but it would also be wonderful accompanied by rice. Delicious!

Yield: 4 Servings

• 1 medium butternut or kabocha squash, cut into 1-inch pieces, approximately 4 cups
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound (80 percent lean) ground pork
• 1 tsp coarse salt, plus more for squash
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for squash
• dash or two of red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 serrano chiles, seeded and sliced
• 1 T finely grated peeled ginger root
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 1 large lime)
• 4 tsp fish sauce
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• salted, roasted peanuts or cashews and chopped cilantro, for serving, as desired

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection roast.
2. Toss squash with 1 T olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place squash on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Add pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, and paprika; cook, breaking into large pieces and stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic, shallot, chiles, and ginger and cook, stirring often, just until softened, about 2 minutes.
5. Add roasted squash, lime juice, fish sauce, and scallions; toss to combine.
6. Serve stir-fry topped with nuts and cilantro, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Turkey & Spinach Curry

Two Years Ago:

• Panko-Crusted Mustard Salmon
• Velvet Chicken with Mustard Sauce

Three Years Ago:

• Pea Risotto
• Caramel Chicken

Four Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash & Bacon Quiche
• Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce

If you like this you may also like:

• Thai One-Pot

Mario Batali’s Chocolate Chicken Mole

Mole is one of my favorite things in this world to eat. When we lived in Chicago, we would go to a restaurant that served a different type of mole every night of the week- heaven! When I saw Mario Batali make this mole on The Chew, I couldn’t wait to try it. Wonderful!! Yay! My family- especially my son- gobbled it up too. 🙂

The original recipe called for Mexican drinking chocolate, but, after an unsuccessful search for it, I substituted my favorite Trader Joe’s 72% cacao dark chocolate- perfect. According to Mario Batali, the burnt tortilla is very important for the resulting texture and smokiness of the sauce; I charred the corn tortilla on the open flame of my gas range. I also used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for convenience. The sesame seeds provided a contrasting texture in the otherwise smooth sauce. FABULOUS!!

• 8 Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs or 10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 small White Onions (diced)
• 3 Garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1/2 cup Peanuts
• 1/4 cup whole Almonds
• 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
• 1 Corn Tortilla (charred and cut into 8 wedges)
• 4 large Guajillo; New Mexico; or California Chiles (stems removed)
• 3 large Dried Mulato or Ancho Chiles (stems removed)
• 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 3 ounces Mexican Drinking Chocolate or 72% cacao dark chocolate (grated)
• Cilantro (leaves only; to garnish)
• Lime Wedges (to garnish)
• Brown Basmati Rice, for serving
• Sour Cream, for serving, if desired

1. In a large dutch oven, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken deeply on all sides and remove to a plate. Add the onions, garlic, and cinnamon to the pot and cook over medium-low for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, charred tortilla, and chiles. Pour 3 cups of boiling water over the contents of the bowl and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid, remove solids to a food processor, and pulse with just enough water to create a sauce-like paste.
3. Pour the paste over the onion mixture, and add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken pieces and chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chocolate and simmer 2 more minutes. Serve with rice, sour cream, and fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges, if desired.