Day 225.
I <3 bruschetta, a lot. I’ve only ever had tomato and pesto bruschetta topping. But this seemed interesting so I thought I’d give it a try. It called for smoked mozzarella, so I added a bit of liquid smoke to the cheese.
Pear and Squash Bruschetta
Adapted from Pear and Squash Bruschetta.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (1-1/2 pounds)
- 2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon margarine
- 4 sage leaves
- 3 ripe pears, cored and cut into half-inch cubes
- 1/2 pound loaf sourdough bread
- 1/4 pound Daiya vegan Mozzarella
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Peel squash. Combine squash trimmings, onion and carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes or until liquid is flavorful, adding additional water to keep about 3 cups liquid in pan. Strain. Reserve liquid. Discard solids or reserve for another use I put mine in a batch of Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Broth.
Scrape seeds from squash and discard. Cut squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat olive oil and butter in a large shallow pan. Add sage and fry for 30 seconds or until crisp and fragrant. Remove sage with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towel and reserve for garnish.
Add squash and pears to pan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until just starting to brown. Add 1 cup of the squash stock and cook until reduced. Repeat, using about 3 cups stock. Pears and squash should be soft but still hold shape. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, slice bread into 1/2-inch slices. Toast in 350 oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Spoon warm pear-squash mixture onto each bruschetta. Sprinkle liquid smoke over cheese. Sprinkle bruschetta with cheese. Drizzle with pumpkin seed or olive oil if desired. Garnish servings with fried sage.
The Results
I ended up reserving about a cup of the broth for another use as the pear-squash was soft before I could reduce the last cup. This is pretty good. Kind of an interesting combination. Not my favorite, but good.
This post is shared with What’s for Lunch Wednesday , Simply Delish and Muffin Tin Monday.
