Caramelized Delicata Squash

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Justin Walker for The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Brian Preston-Campbell, Prop Styling by DSM

Caramelized Delicata Squash

WINTER SQUASH all too often overcooked and smothered in cloying toppings, deserves better than it gets. Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri more than compensates with this dish of spiced and salted delicata squash slow-simmered in a shallow pool of melted brown sugar and butter. As that butter and sugar cook down to an almost-bitter, black caramel, the squash softens to just shy of firm-at-the-center and takes on a complex sweetness of its own.

This preparation, the final of four Slow Food Fast contributions from Mr. Vetri, serves as a primer in the physical changes a caramel undergoes when transforming from blond to tar-black. Thankfully, here that metamorphosis happens in slow motion, so it is easy to monitor. "You know that dark stuff on the pan we all want to get to?" he asked. "Well this is covered in that stuff. That's why it is so good."

The Chef: Marc Vetri

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Vetri Family Restaurants

Marc Vetri

His Restaurants: Vetri, Alla Spina, Amis, Osteria, all in Philadelphia

What He's Known For: Preparing classic Italian dishes with a light hand and a respect for tradition.

To get the recipe just right, you must supervise the dance among the browning sugar, the delicata and the heat by flipping the squash every so often and making sure the temperature remains low and consistent. From start to finish, only a few bubbles ought to burst at a time as the caramel cooks down. Nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic and rosemary, added at the end, perfume the dish and lend additional dimension.

Steady stewing can draw deep flavor from even the humblest of storage vegetables—not that there's anything humble about delicata squash. A dense variety with delicate edible skin that holds its shape even when sliced thin and cooked low and slow, it is the best squash for this dish. "Nothing else is sweet enough," Mr. Vetri said. Paired with a caramel taken nearly to burning, the squash finds a sharp counterpoint, and some of the gravitas it so frequently lacks.

Caramelized Delicata Squash

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 medium delicata squash, ends trimmed

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch fresh black pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Salt, to taste

4 sprigs rosemary or thyme, plus extra, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

2 cloves garlic

What To Do

1. Set two large sauté pans over medium heat. Add half butter and half brown sugar to each pan.

2. Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut squash crosswise into ½-inch crescents. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, black pepper and nutmeg.

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3. Once sugar liquefies and begins to bubble, distribute squash between the two pans, laying slices flat. Cook at a steady low simmer, flipping slices often, until squash tenderizes and caramel turns deep brown, about 20 minutes.

4. Season both sides of squash with salt and spice mixture. Continue to stew and turn squash until it is fork-tender and coated in caramel, another 5 minutes. Pull pans off heat and add half rosemary and garlic to each. Toss to combine and let cool slightly. Discard garlic and herb sprigs. Garnish with extra herbs, if desired. Serve immediately.