Butternut squash

[rickismom]

I have never cooked a butternut squash before. Anybody got any ideas on how I can use it? Soup? Roasted? I have no idea....

[Miniman]

Hi

I love butternut squash - you can roast it boil it, puree it or make it into soup. I have a great soup recipe that I will post later.

One way to roast, cut into quarers or chunks. Remove the seeds. You can peel it or not - your choice. Place in a roasting pan andsprinkle over cinnamon or nutmeg and drizzle over oil. Put in a hot oven for about 30-45 minutes.

You can also use the roasted flesh to make a puree or a soup.

To boil, chunk the squash, peel & remove the seeds. Boil for about 10 mins, until the squash is soft. Drain and serve with butter or mash with some butter and spices.

Hope this helps.

[rickismom]

Hi

I love butternut squash - you can roast it boil it, puree it or make it into soup. I have a great soup recipe that I will post later.

One way to roast, cut into quarers or chunks. Remove the seeds. You can peel it or not - your choice. Place in a roasting pan andsprinkle over cinnamon or nutmeg and drizzle over oil. Put in a hot oven for about 30-45 minutes.

You can also use the roasted flesh to make a puree or a soup.

To boil, chunk the squash, peel & remove the seeds. Boil for about 10 mins, until the squash is soft. Drain and serve with butter or mash with some butter and spices.

Hope this helps.

Yes, this helps a lot, thank you! How hot should the oven be? I can't wait to see your soup recipe post!! Thank you again! :flowers:

[VeraBlue]

There are countless ways -

Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and then roast it for an hour. Scoop out the roasted flesh and mash with butter and nutmeg.

Peel and chunk, roast the pieces. Serve instead of potatoes.

Roasted butternut squash soup

Cut it in half, peel it then roast it. when it's tender, slice it and serve on lettuce, warmed , with goat cheese.

Follow same method above, except, after slicing it, dip into a thick batter and pan fry. Serve with carmelized onions and fried apple slices.

Shredded and sauteed with onions, tossed with feta cheese..



.......

[joec]

We are doing one tonight which I cut in half (not end to end but through the center), seeded it added some brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg etc and drizzled some walnut oil on it then roasted it in the oven.

[Miniman]

That sounds good Joe

[Miniman]

Yes, this helps a lot, thank you! How hot should the oven be? I can't wait to see your soup recipe post!! Thank you again! :flowers:

A hot oven is at the higher end - I use gas mark 8 or around 240C. If I am roasting a joint, just at whatever temperature the oven is at for that.

[rickismom]

Thank you - all of you. Now I'm not so scared to try it :)

[Adillo303]

You can also cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, stuff the cavity and roast.

[chowhound]

You guys have got me wanting to try this squash.
So how do you pick a good one?

[Adillo303]

I look for uniform color and it should be firm, not squishy.

I too peel and boil it add a little butter and serve. Prepared this way, I can portion and freeze in individual portions for an instant veggie when I need one.

[Cooksie]

This looks interesting:

http://thenoshery.com/2009/09/28/roasted-butternut-squash-pears-and-onions-with-blue-cheese/

[High Cheese]

I like to cut into chunks and roast it. They really shrink in size so watch that. They also roast quicker than potatoes. Add some carrot too.

[rickismom]

I like to cut into chunks and roast it. They really shrink in size so watch that. They also roast quicker than potatoes. Add some carrot too.

That's good to know, thanks :chef:

[larry_stewart]

Alton Browns " good eats" which is on right now ( in new york) is featuring squashes, including butternut.

[QSis]

Alton Browns " good eats" which is on right now ( in new york) is featuring squashes, including butternut.

Good to see you, Larry!

Are you back????

Lee

[larry_stewart]

Ive been around, just not as active as i was ( kinda busy over the summer) So I guess, yes, I am back :)

[rickismom]

Alton Browns " good eats" which is on right now ( in new york) is featuring squashes, including butternut.

Thanks Larry! Although I live on the West coast and I missed it, lol. But I appreciate you letting me know! :)

[buckytom]

my wife makes them very simply and they're always very good.

just cut in half lengthwise, scoop out cavity, then lay them cut side down in a glass baking dish with about a half inch of water (or you can substitute chicken stock or white wine for a different effect) and bake uncovered at 350 until soft all the way through.

scrape out flesh and mash with butter, s&p, and a little of the braising liquid to get the consistency you desire.

[rickismom]

my wife makes them very simply and they're always very good.

just cut in half lengthwise, scoop out cavity, then lay them cut side down in a glass baking dish with about a half inch of water (or you can substitute chicken stock or white wine for a different effect) and bake uncovered at 350 until soft all the way through.

scrape out flesh and mash with butter, s&p, and a little of the braising liquid to get the consistency you desire.

Thanks Bucky! The thing that scares me the most is cutting the darn thing :shock:

[buckytom]

You guys have got me wanting to try this squash.
So how do you pick a good one?


ya gotta go up to your knuckle..


oh, umm, you meant a squash.

nevermind.

[buckytom]

r-mom, try to get a big (8" chef's or bigger) and put the point on the cutting board, and slice down through the squash like a lever.

[rickismom]

ya gotta go up to your knuckle..


oh, umm, you meant a squash.

nevermind.

:yum:

[joec]

We are doing the butternut squash tonight and did an acorn the other night instead of the butternut, wife changed her mind at the last minute. At any rate I'm trying a new method I saw today by Michael Chiarello though he was making a butternut soup he did roast the squash first so I'm trying his spice blend and seasoning and giving it it try tonight.

Roasted Butternut Squash

About 3 pounds butternut squash (preferably 1 large squash)
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses
2 teaspoons Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sage, sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses and toasted spice rub. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.

-----------------------------

Toasted Spice Rub:

1/4 cup fennel seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup (1-ounce) pure California chili powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.

Put mixture into a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Chef's notes: Taste your chili powder before adding and, if spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chilies are almost sweet, not hot.

Yield: about 1 cup

[rickismom]

Oooooh, that sounds good! Thanks for posting this. Let us know how it turned out - I don't have all that stuff on hand right now, lol

[joec]

I will though I'm not using the roasted spice blend but do have one real close on hand already just minus the Fennel seeds. As I was saying when I posted we was having butternut it was an acorn that I was actually cooking. Didn't catch it till later that night that I had posted butternut. We have a batch of different winter squash on hand now so we do tend to eat what is in season.

[rickismom]

I'm a huge lover of root vegetables and have never cooked any other squash's other than zucchini. I felt it was time to broaden my horizons, lol

[joec]

I've cooked with them all and do a Brandy and Orange-Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups every Thanksgiving which every one loves. The orange cups are the orange skins left after removing the core and used in the recipe. This one takes some time but is well worth it. We do a lot of zucchini and egg plant ourselves, with beets being among my favorite of them all.

[joec]

OK rickismom here is my assessment of how it turned out. WOW! excellent, super and will become a regular for me in the future. Oh yes I cut it a bit smaller than 1" cubes (more like 1/2") which made it cook a bit faster so it was done in about 40 minutes so you need to keep an eye on it as it cooks. I didn't miss the fennel seed at all and used dried sage as I thought I still had some fresh but didn't. I had fresh thyme, tarragon and rose mary but no sage.

[larry_stewart]

Ill tell you what you missed on the Alton Brown squash episode ( whatever I could remember, anyway).

First he started by saying any hard winer squash ( including, acorn, butternut, pumpkins...) could be used interchangeably.

He made a squash ( pumpkin) bread, similar to a zucchini bread ( he also toased pumkin seeds to mix in to the bread dough)

He then made a squash ( butternut) soup. First he roasted the squash, then scooped out the meat, added chicken stock,ginger, s & p) and blended it up. Continued to heat it and at the end added some heavy cream. I think he served it with crystalized gigner on top ( he may have put nutmeg in it too, since he seemed to put nutmeg in all the dishes)

A squash dumpling ( looked like gnochi). He cooked what looked like an equal amount of squash and potatoes, mashed them up adding flour, egg, s & p. Rolled the dough into a long stranf about as thick as a finger, then cut them into 1/2 to 1 inch size ( gnochi size) Boiled them , and served them with a sage/ butter sauce.

Roasted squash.. squash cut in half, drizzled with olive oil ( and maybe some spices on top, I forget) and roasted at about 375 for 40 minutes ( im guessing at the temp and time, since I was tired by this point, but its about right)

Thats all I could remember. I tried posting this yesterday from work, but it didnt go through so the extra day resulted in a little memory loss. But at least this can give u a few ideas i hope.

[chowhound]

Thanks for the post, Larry.

[rickismom]

Ill tell you what you missed on the Alton Brown squash episode ( whatever I could remember, anyway).

First he started by saying any hard winer squash ( including, acorn, butternut, pumpkins...) could be used interchangeably.

He made a squash ( pumpkin) bread, similar to a zucchini bread ( he also toased pumkin seeds to mix in to the bread dough)

He then made a squash ( butternut) soup. First he roasted the squash, then scooped out the meat, added chicken stock,ginger, s & p) and blended it up. Continued to heat it and at the end added some heavy cream. I think he served it with crystalized gigner on top ( he may have put nutmeg in it too, since he seemed to put nutmeg in all the dishes)

A squash dumpling ( looked like gnochi). He cooked what looked like an equal amount of squash and potatoes, mashed them up adding flour, egg, s & p. Rolled the dough into a long stranf about as thick as a finger, then cut them into 1/2 to 1 inch size ( gnochi size) Boiled them , and served them with a sage/ butter sauce.

Roasted squash.. squash cut in half, drizzled with olive oil ( and maybe some spices on top, I forget) and roasted at about 375 for 40 minutes ( im guessing at the temp and time, since I was tired by this point, but its about right)

Thats all I could remember. I tried posting this yesterday from work, but it didnt go through so the extra day resulted in a little memory loss. But at least this can give u a few ideas i hope.

Thank you Larry, that's so sweet of you. You rock!! :flowers:

[larry_stewart]

No problem, its the kinda guy I am. Just wish my memory was a little sharper.

Jacques Pepin does another variation of Butternut squash soup , which I have done in the past. It is similar to a ' Vichyssoise ' just using the butternut squash instead of potato. It was really simple and good too.

[Constance]

Or bake a pie. Did you know that Libby's Pie Pumpkin is actually butternut squash?

[rickismom]

Or bake a pie. Did you know that Libby's Pie Pumpkin is actually butternut squash?

Isn't that false advertising?

[Constance]

Not really...southerners call several types of winter squash "punkins". The neighbor gave me a big green and white striped pumpkin when I lived in La.

[Mr. Green Jeans]

Butternut Squash Soup with White Beans & Jalapeno

3 cups butternut squash peeled, cubed & cooked
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
1 cup onion diced fine
1 cup celery diced fine
1 15 oz can canolini white beans drained
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers seeded (or not :-) diced very fine
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
2 T olive oil
1 tbsp corn starch
S&P to taste
4 slices thick sliced bacon diced cooked, & crumbled (optional)

Steam or microwave the squash until tender. Place in a blender with 1/2 the stock and puree. In a stock pot sautee the onion, celery and jalapeno. Add remaining stock, beans and simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Add puree and bring up to temp. Lastly whisk, or place 1/2 and 1/2 in a shaker with corn starch and stir into soup. Finish with bacon crumbles.

[rickismom]

Thanks Mr GJ! I made my stuffed squash last night using a recipe I got from lesley, with modifications of course since hubby hates mushrooms. It turned out okay - I guess I was expecting more flavor from the squash....