Roasted Delicata Squash with Wheat Berries and Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

1cup (200 g) uncooked wheat berries

1 quart (1 liter) water

Kosher salt

1 large or 2 small delicata squash (about 1½ 1b/675 g total)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried chile flakes

1 lemon, halved

½ cup (70 g) Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (page 306)

½ cup lightly packed (15 g) fresh cilantro leaves

¼ cup lightly packed (7g) fresh mint leaves

½ cup (120 ml) Romesco Sauce (page 315)

Directions

Put the wheat berries in a medium saucepan with the water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a lively simmer, cover, and cook until the wheat berries are fully tender and most of the grains have opened up, about 45 minutes. All the water won't be absorbed, so drain thoroughly.

While the wheat berries are cooking, heat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

Scrub the squash (you're going to leave the edible skin on) and halve lengthwise (if the squash is long, cut it in half crosswise first, for easier handling). Scoop and scrape out the seeds and then cut crosswise into half-moons ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick.

Pile into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, several twists of black pepper, and the chile flakes and toss to coat. Spread onto a baking sheet (use two sheets if one seems crowded - you don't want the squash slices to overlap at all) and roast until golden brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. You can flip halfway through cooking, if you like, but the squash will also be nice if it's browned on one side only.

To assemble the dish, toss the cooked wheat berries with the juice of half the lemon, a nice glug of olive oil, some salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Add the toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and mint and toss again. Taste and add more lemon, olive oil, salt, or pepper; you want the grains to be totally tasty before you add the squash. Spread the wheat berry mixture onto a platter or shallow serving bowl and arrange the squash slices on top. Top the whole dish with dollops of the romesco sauce and serve.

Notes

I'd like to thank whoever developed the delicata squash, because its small size makes it easy to handle and the skin is so tender you don't need to peel it... a perfectly behaved winter squash! This dish is hearty enough to be a vegetarian main dish, and would look inviting to any diner on the Thanksgiving table. —Serves 4