Croquette Mixture | © 2009 Cynthia Wenslow

Recipe Courtesy The-Stupids.com

My first thought was, ok, which one? Squash or croquet? Then common sense kicked in.

1 butternut squash
1/2 c quinoa
1 c vegetable broth
1/4 c pecans
powdered ginger
powdered nutmeg
powdered cinnamon
chermoula spice (or a curry powder)
Smoked red savina (or cayenne)
salt
3 scallions
Panko breadcrumbs
Peanut oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees (F). Cut squash in half, lay cut side down on a cookie sheet, then roast for 20-30 minutes or until tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove from oven and turn temperature down to 350.

Rinse quinoa in cold water. Bring broth to a boil, then add quinoa and cover. Turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes or until broth is absorbed and you can see the white ring in the grains.

Chop the pecans.

Scoop out the squash flesh from the skin into a bowl. Add quinoa, pecans, a few pinches of each of the spices, and salt. Chop the scallions and stir in.

Form the squash mixture into patties and pat in the Panko. The patties can rest on a piece of wax paper while awaiting their final fate.

Croquettes Formed | © 2009 Cynthia Wenslow

Heat the peanut oil to roughly 350-360 degrees, then fry the patties, turning once only.

Croquettes Frying | © 2009 Cynthia Wenslow

As each batch is done, place the patties on a rack in the oven to keep warm. When all are done, plate, add a few dollops of sambal oelek, garnish with chopped scallion greens, and stand back. A nice Pilsener would work well with these.

Croquettes Plated | © 2009 Cynthia Wenslow

Click to print this recipe as a PDF.