Squash and Beans Indigenous Skillet Supper from @MaddieDayAuthor #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a delicious one-pot recipe that is a nod to this week's Indigenous Peoples' Day, formerly known as Columbus Day. Read down for an ARC giveaway, too!

We added a piece of grilled chicken thigh on the side

I'd like to begin by acknowledging that the land where I live in northeastern Massachusetts is traditionally the land of the Pawtucket, Pennacook, and Abenaki people, and is the historic lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

I am not a member of any tribe (other than the Scottish Maxwells and Irish Flahertys several generations removed), but I wanted to make a dinner last Monday that reflects and honors the original residents of the area where I've made my home for forty years. Squash, beans, and probably some kind of wild onion and wild garlic were native to New England. Tomatoes and quinoa were native to the Americas, if not hyper-local

My latest book, Murder in a Cape Cottage, takes place on Cape Cod, where the Mashpee Wampanoag people continue to be a vital tribe. I have two Wampanoag characters who both happened to be out of town during the book, but no worries, they'll be back in Murder at a Cape Bookstore, releasing next August. Here's a sneak first peek at the cover, just for you!

The small butternut squash I used in today's recipe were volunteers near my compost pile, and the tomatoes - well, you can see I am awash in tomatoes at the moment. The garlic and parsley in the recipe are from my garden, too.

Indigenous Skillet Supper

Note: I lay no claim to this being a meal current Massachusetts indigenous people might cook.

Ingredients

I forgot to include the cheese in the photo, and also left out the salt and pepper.

1 pound peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch (more or less) cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup quinoa

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/4 cups vegetable stock

2 cups diced fresh Roma-type tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 large handfuls baby spinach leaves

1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped parsley

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450ºF

On a rimmed baking sheet, mound the squash in the center. Sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat the squash, massaging the oil into the cubes to coat them. Spread into a single layer.

Roast for about 20 minutes, turning it once after 15 minutes, until tender and browned in places. Remove from oven and let cool.

Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it with cold running water for 1-2 minutes, shaking the strainer and stirring with your hands to remove the bitter coating (saponin) from the seeds.

In a large skillet (I used my favorite cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat, add the rest of the oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Add the garlic, oregano, chili powder, and cumin, and stir for 1 minute. Add the quinoa, diced tomatoes (including the juices), drained beans, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. 

Stir in the spinach and and squash and cook for another minute, or until the spinach wilts and the squash is reheated. 

Fold the parsley into the skillet.

 Sprinkle with cheese and replace the lid for a minute or until the cheese is melted. Serve with the protein and wine of your choice.

We included grilled chicken thighs with the meal, but the supper itself is vegetarian - or vegan if you omit the cheese. And it was delicious!

I'll send one commenter an ARC of the next Country Store mystery, Four Leaf Cleaver. 

Readers: What's your favorite local foods dish to eat or cook?

My most recent release is Murder in a Cape Cottage, the fourth Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, out September 27.

"Scarfed Down," my Country Store novella in the collection Christmas Scarf Murder releases the same day.

My next release is Four Leaf Cleaver, out in late January.

Check out all my writing!

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.