I love gardening. And even though my yard isn’t very large, I manage to have lots of gardens- flower, herb, fruit, and vegetables- and still have enough yard that my husband complains about mowing! Besides a variety of fruits, herbs, and vegetables, I plant squash- zucchini, yellow crookneck, pumpkin, and butternut, and sometimes even spaghetti squash. My butternut squash always does very well and I give many of them away.
Of course, I love eating the squash in a variety of ways, such as Butternut Squash Drop Biscuits with Bacon and Onions. Because of its mild flavor, butternut squash pairs well with spicy foods, such as chorizo: The spiciness of the chorizo enhances the flavor of the butternut, while the mildness of the butternut tames the chorizo. Combine cooked chorizo and butternut squash with seasonings, and wrap this filling in crescent dough for an amazing meal that is sure to have everyone asking for more. (Don’t be surprised if you have to double the recipe.) And then to put this over the top, I created a Mango Dipping Sauce to go with it.
Usually, I create my own bread recipes, but for this one, I chose the convenience of prepackaged tubes of crescent roll dough. And if you love empanadas, this recipe can easily be altered to make empanadas. Please see The Inside Scoop for how to make this into empanadas.
The Inside Scoop
Mango Dipping Sauce: The Mango Sauce is very simple to make. As presented in the recipe, it is fairly chunky. If you prefer a smoother sauce, simply place the ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until you have your desired level of smoothness or chunkiness.
Preparing the Crescent Dough: Crescent dough sheets are much easier to use in this recipe than crescent roll dough. Fortunately, most grocery stores now carry the crescent dough sheets (e.g., Pillsbury Crescent Dough Sheets). However, if you have to use the crescent roll dough, be sure to firmly pinch the seems together to keep the dough from falling apart.
Once the crescent roll dough is rolled out to 9″ x 12″, visually divide it into thirds: the middle third holds the filling and the two outer thirds create the “braid” to hold the filling in the dough. Cut the two outer thirds into 3″ x 3/4″ strips.
Next, the filling is spooned down the middle.
The strips of dough are then folded over the filling in an alternating crisscross pattern to create the appearance of a braid. Be sure to bring the dough far enough over the filling that the strips overlap.
The Value of an Egg Wash: And remember to whisk the egg and use a pastry brush to give the dough an “egg wash.” The egg wash will create that mouth-watering golden finish to your bake.
You will probably want to cut the roll in half to transfer it to a serving plate.
If you prefer individual empanadas: Substitute prepackaged biscuit dough (regular or grand size) for the crescent roll dough. Simply separate the biscuits and roll them out flat. Fill the middle of each dough circle with the chorizo and butternut squash filling.
Brush the egg wash around the edge of the biscuit, (the egg wash will help “glue” the dough together), then fold the biscuit in half, trapping the filling in the middle. Use a fork to seal the empanada, cut a slit in the top to allow the release of steam, egg wash the top of the dough, and bake!
Mild Butternut squash and spicy Chorizo combine to make an amazing filling for crescent dough that will have everyone asking for more. (You may want to double the recipe!). And then take it "over the top" with a Mango Dipping Sauce. For the Mango Dipping Sauce: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the mango. Remove the pit and chop the mango into approximately ¼” pieces. Chop the sweet onion into approximately ¼” pieces. Place the prepared mango, sweet onion, and all remaining sauce ingredients in a small bowl; toss until ready to use. Note: For a smoother dipping sauce, place the sauce in a food processor and pulse until you have achieved your desired level of smoothness. For the Chorizo and Butternut Squash Crescent Bake: If using fresh butternut squash: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peal from the butternut squash. Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Chop the butternut squash into ¼”- ½” cubes. In a small bowl, toss the cubed squash with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Place the prepared squash on the parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20+ minutes, stirring half-way through, until squash is tender. Remove from oven; cool. If using canned squash, skip the previous step and proceed to the following step. For the Chorizo: Heat 1½ T. olive oil in a large frying pan. Add finely chopped onion. Fry until almost tender; add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion and garlic from the frying pan and place in a small bowl; set aside. Add Chorizo to the same pan. Cook until no longer pink. Drain grease. Add onions, garlic, wine, and chicken stock; cook on medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the prepared squash. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Open one can of crescent rolls or crescent roll sheet dough and unroll onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If using crescent rolls, pinch seems together. With a rolling pin or pastry roller, roll out the dough to a 9” x 12” rectangle. Cut an equal number of 3” deep x ¾” wide strips down the width of the crescent dough on both sides. Spoon the chilled filling down the center of the dough to within 1” of each end. Fold the strips of crescent dough over the top of the filling, alternating sides, and overlapping the dough in a crisscross pattern to create a braided appearance. In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg onto the top of the crescent dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until crescent dough is a golden brown color. Remove from the oven. Serve with warmed Mango Dipping Sauce. Enjoy!Chorizo and Butternut Squash Bake with a Mango Dipping Sauce
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