Squash

[mikeczyz]

anybody have any ideas on what to do with squash? i received two good size, pumpkin colored, long squash as a gift from my gf's dad, and i had no idea on what to do with them. i remembered an old recipe for butternut squash soup, so i split them in half, baked them to soften the flesh. i removed the flesh and pureed it. added some heavy cream, some chicken stock, s&p, a little lemon juice, allspice (i wanted nutmeg, but we're out), and some butter. it was pretty gross. i put it in the fridge hoping it tastes better tomorrow. so i need some ideas in case i get some more. any ideas?

mike

[Jaymes]

Easiest and healthiest: Split them in half, remove seeds, brush a little butter on them, turn them upside down and bake them at 350 for about an hour or so until fork tender.

Next easiest: Split in half, remove seeds, brush with butter, fill cavity with brown sugar (or any other sweetener you like - maple syrup, molasses, black strap, honey...whatever), dust with salt & pepper and cinnamon or nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice or any seasoning you like, place cut side up on baking sheet and bake at 350 for an hour or so until tender.

To serve baked squash, just put the thing on people's plates. They scoop the meat out themselves with their fork or spoon.

Favorite: Split in half, seed, brush with butter, fill cavity with favorite stuffing. I like this one -

Stuffed Squash

3 large winter squash - acorn, butternut, etc.

1 1/2 lb sausage (can use hamburger)

3/4 C uncooked oats - either old-fashioned or quick

1/2 C chopped apple

1/4 C chopped onion

1-2 T chopped fresh parsley

1/2 C evap milk

salt to taste - depending on how salty sausage is - usually about 1/2 t

Halve and seed squash. Brush with butter and place cut-down down onto cookie sheet or shallow baking pan. Bake 350 about 30 min.

Combine sausage, apple, onion, parsley, oats, salt and milk and lightly toss to mix well. Remove squash from oven, turn cut side up, and dust with salt and pepper. Fill each squash cavity with stuffing and continue to bake about 45 minutes or longer, until squash is tender and meat is cooked through.

[Jinmyo]

It was "gross" because squash is, well, gross. Unless you roast it, pass it through a sieve, and then doctor it with cream, butter, and things worth intrinsically more in every sense, it is just nasty and horrid. But filling.

Unless...

You simply peel and then slice it into thin rings and fry it until slightly blackened and serve it with shoyu and wasabi.

You can use it to fill ravioli but it needs to be well seasoned.

If you have to make a soup with it, drift towards curry or Southeast Asian seasonings.

[mikeczyz]

Jinmyo- I DID take my generic squash soup and played around with it. In addition to the recipe i described above, I took one batch and pureed some spinach in it (cool color, spinach didn't really add much to the taste tho), and the other batch was made by addign a little bit of soysauce and rice vineagar. Both yielded unsatisfactory results. I decided to have the remaining batch as a garnish to some pungent, flavorful sausage which will be nice i think.

Jaymes-

I really like your idea for stuffed squash. I've had squash just baked sith butter and brown sugar, but am not so fond of it. Stuffed sounds delicious. Is it one of your recipes?

mike

[Saffy]

I love pumpkins and squash, we eat them a lot in our house.

I have recipes for lots of things, so I will just list them here and if any take your fancy, let me know and I will post the recipe.

Pumpkin pie

pumpkin and chocolate bars ( cream cheese frosting REALLY GOOD!!)

Pumpkin bread

Pumpkin scones

Pumpkin and lentil korma

Creamy pumpkin soup

Pumpkin gratin

Thai green curry with chicken and roasted pumpkin

Pumpkin rissotto

and on the list goes. I even have a recipe for Pumpkin Jam and Pumpkin chutney here somewhere

[Saffy]

Opps I forgot to mention, that most butternut squash recipes and pumpkin recipes are interchangeable.

[mikeczyz]

Pumpkin soup please.

mike

[Jaymes]

Jaymes-

I really like your idea for stuffed squash.  I've had squash just baked sith butter and brown sugar, but am not so fond of it.  Stuffed sounds delicious.  Is it one of your recipes? 

mike

I think it's just kind of a traditional thing and lots of people fix it that way... but I'm not sure.

My grandmother used to make it all the time. She was in the restaurant biz very long ago and told me it was one of her most popular "blue plate specials." And my mom and dad made it often when I was growing up. I have prepared it with chorizo and that's good too, but kinda greasy.

We always loved it as kids... It was our family's dinnertime way of saying that autumn is here.

But your squash should also be good just fixed the way I first described.... very simple, but with a little added butter salt and pepper, homey and delicious.

[SobaAddict70]

Mike,

try this recipe

saute some unsalted butter in a large stockpot, to which add a mirepoix of carrots, onions and celery (both stalk and leaves), salt, white pepper, a bouquet garni if you want. (or if not the BQ, fennel seeds or a couple of bay leaves.) Add squash (which has been initially prepped per Jinmyo's instructions minus the butter/cream), peeled chopped apple (either Golden delicious or a Granny Smith and good quality chicken stock. Cook for about five to ten minutes, then working in batches (if using BQ or bay leaves, remove them at this point), puree in a blender or food processor. Return soup to pot, add some light cream, nutmeg or ground cloves, and simmer for about ten to fifteen additional minutes, to incorporate flavors and thicken slightly. Serve garnished with some chopped or minced herbs, or toasted blanched slivered almonds.

SA

[mikeczyz]

Sounds good SA

THe introduction of mirepoix, apples and the additional simmering should make a big difference in my future efforts.

mike

[Jim Dixon]

quesadillas...

peel, cube, and cook (or cook and remove flesh)

mash coarsely with green onion, chili (roasted poblano or ancho, canned anaheim, pickled jalapeno, or...your choice for heat and flavor), cumin (toasted whole seeds or powder), and cheese, preferably one of the mild, fresh Mexican-style cheese

Spread a thin layer on flour tortilla, top with another, cook in dry cast iron or similar heavy pan over medium until tortillas start to crisp and brown a bit

cut into wedges and serve with favorite salsa

Jim

[Stone]

Mike,

try this recipe

saute some unsalted butter in a large stockpot, to which add a mirepoix of carrots, onions and celery (both stalk and leaves), salt, white pepper, a bouquet garni if you want.  (or if not the BQ, fennel seeds or a couple of bay leaves.)  Add squash (which has been initially prepped per Jinmyo's instructions minus the butter/cream), peeled chopped apple (either Golden delicious or a Granny Smith and good quality chicken stock.  Cook for about five to ten minutes, then working in batches (if using BQ or bay leaves, remove them at this point), puree in a blender or food processor.  Return soup to pot, add some light cream, nutmeg or ground cloves, and simmer for about ten to fifteen additional minutes, to incorporate flavors and thicken slightly.  Serve garnished with some chopped or minced herbs, or toasted blanched slivered almonds.

SA

This is similar to my recipe. I add leek, and don't use the apples. Toasted pumpkin seeds on top are always a winner. Also, try using half butternut and half spaghetti squash. The SS has a great natural buttery flavor.

[Saffy]

Pumpkin and Ginger Soup

In a large saucepan do the following:

Roughly dice one large onion, and saute in a little butter with about 1-2 tablespoons of fresh root ginger and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.

Add 2 tblspns soya sauce, 3-4 cups of chicken stock ( or more if you like your soup thinner, this is a very thick soup). Then add in 1 kg of peeled chopped pumpkin or squash. Put the lid on and cook until pumpkin is soft. Cool slightly and then puree in a food processor in batches with a little cream added into each batch. ( I usually aim to get about 1 cup of cream into the soup )

Serve with a small swirl of cream, some chopped spring onions and a pinch of paprika.

This soup is really quite quick to make and is very tasty.

[swissmiss]

Saffy, thank you for the soup recipe. Would you mind posting the pumpkin bread and pumpkin scone recipes? Thank you so much!

[CathyL]

You simply peel and then slice it into thin rings and fry it until slightly blackened and serve it with shoyu and wasabi.

Thin-sliced winter squash is also delicious roasted in a hot (425-450) oven, seasoned with coarse salt, pepper and fresh herbs, until well-browned. A Maillard reaction makes almost anything taste good.

[stellabella]

your squash sounds like some that volunteered in my yard this summer [but went bad while i was out of town]. in my house we make a basic squash soup, usually from butternut, which always turns out nice. it's very similar to ones mentioned, but seasoned differently.

saute a couple medium sweet onions in EVOO til translucent, then add 3 ts. of curry powder and about 1/2 t. of allspice. stir. put in a blender with chicken stock and puree. puree the soft-cooked contents of 2 medium squash and add to onion puree. thin with heavy cream, adjust salt/seasonings to tase. freezes well.

[Saffy]

Pumpkin quick bread

1 c vegetable oil

1 tspn nutmeg

1 tspn cinnamon

1 tspn salt

4 eggs

3 c sugar

1 c cooked and mashed pumpkin

2/3 c water

2 tspn baking soda

3 c flour

( chocolate chips or dried cranberries optional - about 3/4 cup )

Beat together oil spices, salt, eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, water, soda and flour. Mix well. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake for 1 hour at 180C/350F

This makes two good sized loaves. Usually I do one with chocolate chips and one with dried cranberries.

[Jinmyo]

quesadillas...

Jim, as with so many good things, obvious when pointed out. Thank you.

[Saffy]

This is the pumpkin scone recipe that has found it's way into my recipe box.

1 T Butter

1/2 c Sugar

1 Egg

2 c Flour, self-raising

1/2 tspn cinnamon

1/2 tspn nutmeg

1 c Pumpkin, cooked (cold), mashed

1/8 t Salt

Grease a baking tray. Cream together the butter and

sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.

Add pumpkin, flour, spices and salt and fold in by hand. Knead lightly and cut into squares or rounds about 1 inch thick. Place close together on the baking tray bake at 425 degrees F. until risen and golden on top (about 15 minutes). Serve hot, with butter, wonderful with lemon curd too.

For some Pumpkin recipes online ( a whole raft of them in fact !! )

I have made a pumpkin and maple creme brulee fairly recently too which was really nice, and I am one of those people that likes creme brulee as it should be, unadorned in all it's glory.

[mikeczyz]

I decided to quickly saute some pears and pine nuts in a little butter with a bit of chinese five spice (again, out of nutmeg), and brown sugar and used this as a little garniture to my leftover squash soup. i must say, it wasn't half bad. next time, i wouldn't add the vanilla extract as I could not taste it at all. the remaining soup was much more palatable than expected. thank you all for your ideas.

mike

[swissmiss]

Thank you so much for the recipes Saffy, and for the link. I think I will have to experiment this weekend!

[Jaymes]

Zarela says that the recipe for Puerco con Calabasas in her cookbook, "Zarela's Veracruz" is one of her very favorite dishes of all time.

You take a pork roast and boil it in water flavored with cloves, onions, salt and pepper.

Then, boil acorn squash till tender. Puree in blender with tomatoes and some cooked serrano peppers; fry the puree in a little lard. You grind coriander, pumpkin and cumin seeds, then add it to the puree along with a little cider vinegar.

Fry the pork in lard, top with squash sauce.

I don't have the exact ingredients or amounts or methods. The book is next on my "must have" list.

But it sounds fabulous to me.

[Suvir Saran]

STIR-FRIED MIXED SUMMER SQUASH

Squash Poriyal

Serves 6

There is something very summery about this dish. Even as I make it in the dead of winter, I feel cheery just looking at the colors of the two vegetables and then as I taste it, I go back to the lightness in the air of a summer morning. Before things get hot and humid. A great side dish, this is as easy to prepare as it is easy to savor. The coconut and the curry leaves give the vegetables a certain depth of flavor that would normally not be theirs. The mustard and nigella seeds give a crunch and nuttiness that takes you deeper into an exploration of how simple things do not have to be always simple in their complex flavors. This is my play on a Southern Indian take on cooking stir fried vegetables.

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

12 fresh or 16 frozen curry leaves, torn into pieces

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon asafetida

1/2 teaspoon nigella (optional)

1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

3 whole red chilies

1/2 fresh, hot green chili, chopped, with seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 pounds green and yellow squash, trimmed, halved lengthwise and then cut crosswise 1/3 inch thick

1. Heat the oil with the mustard seeds in a large wok or kadai over medium-hot heat until the mustard seeds crackle, about 1 minute.

2. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, asafetida, nigella coconut, dried and fresh chilies and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring, until the coconut begins to turn a golden brown color, about 1 minute.

3. Add the squash and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Stir to coat with the spices. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Taste for salt and serve hot.