Ingredient of the Month // Squash

Last week I mentioned that I wanted to start a few new series on Color Me Styled and today I'm launching The Ingredient of the Month Club.

The idea is easy.  I'll pick an ingredient and I'll post the recipe that I tried on the 1st Thursday of every month.  All you have to do is try a recipe with that ingredient on your own and send it in!

We're going to focus on healthy, whole, balanced ingredients to promote a healthy lifestyle but if you want to rock kale cupcakes, be our guest.  The submission method may change but for now, complete the form by clicking the link below and if you have a picture send it my way via e-mail.

Recipe Submission Form

For January we've selected Squash.  Since there are several varieties we figured we'd leave it open and give you all the flexibility to try Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti, or Turban.  You can prepare it as a side dish, as a main dish, or as a component of a main dish like in our tart below.

Acorn Squash & Chorizo Tart (adapted from Williams-Sonoma's One Pot of the Day Cookbook)

Ingredients

 - Pie Crust (quadruple points if you make it yourself... we picked up a pack of Pillsbury)

 - 1/2 lb acorn squash (1 at least 5 inches wide should be enough), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

 - 2 tbsp olive oil

 - salt

 - 1/4 lb cured Spanish-style chorizo, diced (or 1/4 lb fresh ground chorizo from your deli counter)

 - 1 yellow onion, finely chopped

 - 1 clove garlic, minced

 - 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

 - 1 egg yolk

Procedure

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and toss to coat.  Spread the squash out in an even layer and season with salt and roast until almost tender, about 10 minutes.  Set the squash aside to cool.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 tbsp oil.  Add the chorizo and sautee until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  If you are using raw, bulk chorizo be sure to cook it all the way through, or about 6-8 minutes.  Transfer the chorizo to a paper towel and pour off all but 1 and 1/2 tbsp of the fat and return the pan to medium high heat.  Add the onion and sautee until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, season with salt, and cook for another minute.  Set the mixture aside to cool.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Spread the onion mixture evenly over the dough leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.  Evenly distribute the squash and chorizo and sprinkle with the cheese.  Fold the edge up and over the filling, forming loose pleats.  Lightly beat the egg yolk with 1 tsp of water and brush on the boarder.

Bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.  Cut into wedges and enjoy!