Squash recipes

[SilverLining]

Buttercup squash will never happen again.  The apples I stuffed it with were good! but the squash.  Yuck!

The butternut squash we did for Thanksgiving was delicious.  Bit expensive though.  Next up, acorn squash.  I'm just going to boil and mash with butter and seasoning.

[Macabre]

How would you boil it?

Oh duh--you cut it up first. I was imagining putting the whole acorn squash in, lol.


We eat a lot of squash in the fall--different varieties, whatever we find at the market. I love turban, spaghetti, acorn, butternut and all the different kinds we see at the farmers market whose names I don't know. I know roasting makes them sweeter, but that's all we've ever done, typically halved or in thirds. For making enchiladas I've also roasted butternut that I've cut out.

How does boiling it affect the flavor? Having it mashed up like potatoes sounds good. We do mashed sweet potatoes.

[twinturbo]

SL, try a search on kabocha recipes. You might find a greater source with that as a search term.

[hedgehog]

Mac, just like with most vegs, boiling them results in a blander flavor than roasting or other dry methods.  However, I have found boiling in chai tea makes butternut squash yummy--I would think almost any winter squash would taste good that way.

[SilverLining]

We just cut up, peel, and boil in water.  Then drain, add in butter or margarine, pepper and salt if DH is watching, and mash it up.

I like sweet potato about twice a year, but just a bit.

How do you cook spaggetti squash?

[Macabre]

We roast all our squash. We either cut it in half (spaghetti squash) or in thirds, which we can do with acorn and turban. Or with acorn we cook two cut in half. And that gives us an extra one for lunch! 

[nameless]

We just cut up, peel, and boil in water.  Then drain, add in butter or margarine, pepper and salt if DH is watching, and mash it up.

I like sweet potato about twice a year, but just a bit.

How do you cook spaggetti squash?

I like to roast it

http://youtu.be/-NHtEsopf18

I don't season before as I usually do something with it after. It'll take trial and error the first few times you cook it. You might go through a 15 minute cycle of pulling it out, seeing it it'll shred...or if it's still too crunchy...and then popping it back in. It should shred up easily.

My fav recipe after cooked...

I'll drain it, let it cool in a collander. It can be very watery.  Saute up some spinach in olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper.  Maybe a little garlic found it's way in too.  Then I'll put in the spaghetti squash to heat up, add a little more evoo and then more salt as needed.  Bacon. Add in some cooked chopped bacon (but last thing! else it will ALL taste like bacon!)  Then I'll toss while hot with some freshly shredded romano cheese.  However cheesy you like it!

I like this recipe b/c I can still taste the spaghetti squash

ADrienne

[SilverLining]

If I can make squash taste like bacon, maybe my fussy son will eat it.

[YouKnowWho]

Acorn squash with stuffing.

Cut squash in half, scoop seeds, roast face down in a pan with 1/2 inch of water at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Stuffing - cook 1 cup of wild rice mix with chicken broth.  Saute 1lb of bulk Italian sausage (can be omitted), one onion chopped, three celery stalks chopped, 1 apple chopped and handful of raisins.  Add wild rice mix.

Flip squash over after 30 minutes and fill with stuffing mix - cook for additional 10-15 minutes.

[Macabre]

See my Moosewood recipes above.  But we have them lots and lots of ways.  Whatever we have on hand and strikes our fancy, we use. At Thanksgiving, we make sure and use cranberries inside.  Ours are all vegetarian. 

[krasota]

Smack squash in half with machete or butcher knife.

Scoop out seeds, toss with olive or coconut oil and smoked salt.  Spread on a flat baking sheet.  Roast at 300F for 10-20 minutes, stirring every five, remove as soon as they just begin to appear toasted.

Toss rest of beastly gourd into compost.

[Macabre]

I actually have a machete--bought from a farmer in Haiti.



But DH did not use it to make the recipe below last night.

[Macabre]

Harvest Pilaf Acorn Squash with Fall Greens
Serves six
Prep time: 1 hour

Ingredients
Two acorn squash, sliced in thirds lengthwise, seeds discarded
1/2 c. wheat berries (whole; adjust cooking time down if using cracked wheat)
1/4 c. wild rice (the real kind that takes 45 minutes to an hour to cook)
1 T. whole flax seed
Salt and pepper
1/4 t. ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
1 apple, cored, peeled, chopped coarsely
1/2 lemon (juice only)
1/2 orange (juice and 1 t. zest)
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. butter
1 medium shallot, minced (will be anywhere from 2-4 T.)
1-2 t. maple syrup, to taste

Side dish
1 lb. spinach, chard, or kale
Butter, salt, pepper, tarragon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine grains, seeds, salt and spices in 1 3/4 c. water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour until grains are soft and plump. Water will not be completely absorbed.

3. Sprinkle squash sections with salt and pepper and bake open side up in a wide dish until tender, about 50 minutes.

4. Peel and core one apple, then dice coarsely. Put diced apple in a bowl with juices of half a lemon and half an orange, and water just to cover. Microwave for two minutes to soften apples.

5. Meanwhile, mince garlic and sauté in 1 T. butter 3-4 minutes until golden. Remove to mixing bowl and stir in the orange zest. Put remaining butter and the maple syrup in the bowl, too. Set aside.

6. Add dried cranberries to the simmering grains.

6.5 Now go have a drink, set the table, check email.  Really, you've got nothing but time now.

7. Once grain is done and the squash is tender, drain the grains and apples, and toss both in the mixing bowl with the butter, shallots, maple syrup, and orange zest. Check seasonings to taste.

8. Divide pilaf evenly into squash sections and put back in oven for ten minutes while you sauté some fresh chopped spinach, chard or kale with a little salt, pepper, butter and tarragon. Add 1/2 c. cream if you want to make a sauce for the greens. Serve squash and greens with a good fall wine like a big, fruity Zinfandel.


(Editor's note: This is DH's recipe, but I have no idea who possessed my husband to write the last sentence. We did not have a Zin last night, nor have we bought one in years. But it does sound like a good pairing!

[GoingNuts]

Tonight's acorn squash as a side dish - fantastic.

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out gooey stuff, and brush with an olive oil/butter mixture.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper in the cavity as well.

Chop up an apple and some onion, toss with brown sugar and a little more salt.  Fill cavity of squash.

Place in baking dish filled with a little water so bottom of squash doesn't burn.  Bake for 1 hr - 1 hr and 15 minutes.


We're having this with mushroom Agnolotti in a tomato/zucchini/mushroom sauce.  (YEs, it was time to clean out the veg bin.  Could you tell?)

[twinturbo]

I eat mine in fish broth.