Winter Squash like Butternut

[coronabarb]

Elegant Butternut Squash Soup

2 butternut squash (about 2 lbs each)
2 qts chicken broth
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Medium-sized onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon light-brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Truffle oil for garnish if desired (a nice substitute would be flavored olive oil)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Halve squash lengthwise; peel, seed and cut into chunks. Place in a soup pot with broth. Simmer, partially covered, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer squash to a bowl with slotted spoon; reserve broth.

Melt butter in oil in a nonstick skillet over very low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with mace and ginger and cook, stirring for 1 minute more. Add cooked onion mixture and brown sugar to squash and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

Puree squash mixture in batches in food processor or blender, gradually adding the reserved broth (or use stick blender). Return soup to pot and adjust seasonings if necessary. Heat over low heat.

Serve small portions of soup in shallow bowls. Drizzle small swirl of truffle oil over each portion, then add a generous pinch of grated Parmesan cheese in center of swirl.

[coronabarb]

Squash Sage Soup

2 stalks celery, chopped with leaves
1 medium russet potato, cut into small cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
3 cups cooked, cubed yellow winter squash (hubbard, butternut)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Mrs. Dash or pepper to taste
7 cups broth, chicken or vegetable

Put all ingredients into crockpot and cook on high for 1/2 hour. Turn down to low and cook for 6-8 hours. For chunky soup, mash coarsely with potato masher. For smooth soup, cool and puree in blender.

[coronabarb]

Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup

"If you like the sweet, smooth taste of winter root vegetables, you'll savor this soup. Creamy without any added dairy products, this is a wonderful vegetarian soup, if you use olive oil instead of butter and
substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. In addition, it's very high in vitamins A and C."

1 medium (2 1/2 to 3 pounds) butternut squash
3 to 5 large parsnips (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
3 to 4 large carrots (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
3 medium onions (12 to 14 ounces)
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
3 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled
6 cups water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Peel squash, parsnips, carrots and onions, and dice into
1-inch cubes. Toss with butter or oil, then spread in
one layer on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast vegetables in preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, toss vegetables around a bit, and add garlic. Roast for an additional 30 minutes, turning vegetables every 10 to 15 minutes to brown and caramelize the edges to bring out flavor.

Once the vegetables are soft and caramelized on the edges, remove from oven and let cool slightly for ease of handling. Puree in food processor or blender, or put through a ricer. Add some of the water or broth while processing vegetables in order to make a smooth puree.

Place puree in a large pot, and stir in remaining broth or
water. Bring to a simmer, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Yield: 10 cups, about 6 to 7 servings.

[gardenpaws_VA]

I see a need for some competition, so here's a squash recipe from a different tradition.

Japanese Simmered Squash

1 kabocha squash (or other very dense, dry variety)
good soy sauce/shoyu (I like the Japanese-made Yamasa, but my husband is Japanese and has turned me into a shoyu snob!)
granulated sugar

Scrub squash, cut in half, and remove seeds. Cut each half into wedges about 3/4 inch thick at the skin side. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off most (but not all) of the skin, very thinly (you want to leave streaks for color contrast).

Lay the wedges in a big flat-bottomed skillet. Add water to come halfway up, enough shoyu to color the water noticeably, and a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Bring liquid to a simmer, and cook gently, turning slices once or twice, until squash is tender and liquid is mostly gone. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Don't add salt, and go light on the shoyu the first time - don't forget you're reducing the flavors of about 2 cups of liquid to about a quarter cup liquid at the end. This is about as basic a recipe as it gets, but it's really good!

[gardenpaws_VA]

Winter Squash Soup, my way

I haven't a formal recipe for this, but hope this is something other cooks can follow. Precision is not the issue here; not boiling after the milk is added is much more important!
Use a high-flavor squash (current favorite is Neck Pumpkin), cooked, pureed and drained of excess liquid in a sieve. For each (dinner-sized) serving, I think I used about a third or half cup of puree, plus enough chicken stock to make it the right consistency. I use powdered milk rather than fresh, mixing it with enough water to eliminate lumps. Here's the secret ingredient - for each serving needed, add about a tablespoon of mashed or pureed sweet potato. It lets the soup thicken slightly without the need to add flour or cornstarch. (If I'm using the blender anyway, I'll do the milk and the sweet potato together with some water.) Season with salt, pepper and ginger to taste, and garnish with bacon bits if desired.

BTW, if you reduce the drained liquid which originally came from the squash puree (I don't put it in the soup because I'm cooking the squash and storing it already drained for space reasons), it makes a pretty good pancake syrup. I add a cinnamon stick when I'm reducing it, and haven't so far bothered to add extra sugar.

[Zana]

The Daily Recipe: Friday, October 10, 2003

~*~*~*~*------ A WORD FROM THE KITCHEN ------*~*~*~*~*~*

T.G.I.F!

Try some wonderful SPICY BAKED ACORN SQUASH this weekend! This would be terrific with a beef, chicken or pork dinner or even keep it in mind for turkey season. We see those mounds of colorful squash at the market and some people have absolutely no idea what the heck

Enjoy!
Marzee

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
SPICY BAKED ACORN SQUASH
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

INGREDIENTS:
6 whole acorn squash
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon mace
6 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoon maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split each squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds and fibre from centres.
Slice a thin piece from each bottom so they will rest flat in the pan.
Place squash in a shallow baking dish.
Mix spices together and sprinkle over squash.
Mix melted butter with vinegar; drizzle over squash.
Add 1/2 Tbs. maple syrup to each cavity.
Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 and 3/4 hours.
Remove foil; baste.
Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Yield: 12 Servings
Categories: Vegetables, Squash
http://www.thedailyrecipe.com

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

END OF THE DAILY RECIPE "Until we eat again!" Copyright 2003 by Pulse Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.thedailyrecipe.com

[lakelady]

This is my favorite way to eat squash!

1 squash - about 3 lbs (original recipe called for pumpkin, but you need something more dense than that)
salt and pepper
1/4 lb stale bread, cut into 1/2" chunks
1/4 lb cheese - gruyere, emmenthal, cheddar, or whatever you have lying around (I used about half this amount of cheese)
2-4 garlic cloves, split and coarsely chopped
4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped
1/4 C snipped fresh chives or chopped scallions
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
1/3 C heavy cream (I used whole milk)
freshly grated nutmeg

1) Preheat the oven to 350* and make sure the rack is low enough to accomodate your squash.

2) Cut a cap out of the top of the squash- like you're starting on a jack-o-lantern. Make it a generous cap so you have room to work inside the squash. Pull out the seeds and strings. Season the inside of the squash with salt and pepper. Put squash on a baking sheet or in a casserole. (squash will be soft and wobbly when it's done)

3) Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pack the mix into the squash. The squash should be filled, you might have to adjust the stuffing amount to accomodate your particular squash. (I had to add extra bread chunks)

4) Stir the cream with some nutmeg and pour into the squash over the filling. You might have to adjust the amount -- you want the stuffing moist, but not swimming, and liquid will be coming out of the squash itself as it cooks.

5) Roast the squash for about 2 hours. Check it after 90 minutes - the squash will be really soft when it's done. Pull the cap off of the squash about 30 minutes before it's done to let the stuffing brown a bit.

6) Pull it out of the oven and dig in! I scooped the stuffing and Squash into a big bowl and mixed it all together. I suppose you could slice the whole thing into wedges if you were careful enough.

The recipe says it makes 2 servings, but I guess it depends on how big the squash really is and how dense it is; I had enough for a few dinners for myself and a lunch.

[tjg911]

i like simple 1 pot dishes.

cook and mash squash (i like butternut as i have a lot of them)

add butter, curry powder, light cream

add water to thin to desired consistency

btw, cardamom is great with butternut so you could add it or substitute for the curry powder

tom

[Zana]

Thai Red Curry with Beef and Kobucha Squash

Serves 4

What You'll Need

1 (13.5- to 14-oz.) can coconut milk
1/4 cup red curry paste
1 cup lower-salt chicken broth, or homemade chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbs. light brown sugar or light brown palm sugar; more as needed
1 tsp. fish sauce; more as needed
1 cup sliced kabocha squash (1/4-inch-thick bite-size slices)
1 cup bite-size green bean pieces
3 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed, bruised, and cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces
3 1/8-inch-thick slices fresh ginger or galangal
1 lb. beef strip steak, cut into 1/4-inch-thick bite-size slices
1 cup bite-size pieces fresh baby corn
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
Fresh red chiles, cut into 1/8-inch strips or sliced into rings, for garnish

• Shake the can of coconut milk or stir it well (this creates a consistent thickness, since the fat often solidifies at the top of the can).

• In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan or wok over medium heat, simmer 1/2 cup of the coconut milk, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, 3 to 5 minutes.
• It will get very thick and shiny and may or may not separate; either is fine.

• Add the curry paste, whisk well, and cook, continuing to whisk, for 1 minute.
• Whisk in the broth, sugar, fish sauce, and remaining coconut milk.
• Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

• Add the kabocha squash, green beans, ginger slices, and lemongrass pieces and continue to simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary.
• After 2 minutes, add the beef and baby corn and continue to simmer until everything is tender and cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

• Remove the curry from the heat.
• Season to taste with more sugar and fish sauce, and stir in the cilantro. Transfer to a serving bowl (or serve right out of the pot).
• Remove the ginger and lemongrass or tell your guests to eat around them.
• Garnish with the red chiles.

nutrition information (per serving):

Calories (kcal): 440; Fat (g): 28; Fat Calories (kcal): 250; Saturated Fat (g): 21; Protein (g): 24; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3.5; Carbohydrates (g): 26; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 0.5; Sodium (mg): 620; Cholesterol (mg): 50; Fiber (g): 3;

[nctomatoman]

Baked Spaghetti Squash with roasted tomato sauce


really healthy!

1 Spaghetti squash
1 pint jar roasted tomato sauce
1 inch square pesto (we freeze ours, and used half a cube)
grated parmesan cheese
bread crumbs

preheat oven to 350.
Cut the squash in half length-wise - scoop out the seeds and fiber. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake 45 min (squash will be easy to pierce with a fork). Let cool for 15 min.

Grabbing the half squash with a pot holder, and using a fork, scrape the flesh into spaghetti-like strands into a large bowl. Repeat with the other half. Mix in the pesto and sauce - place into a casserole dish, add grated parmesan to the top to taste, then seasoned bread crumbs.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

[Zana]

CHEESE RAVIOLI WITH SQUASH AND THYME

Makes 4 servings.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbs thyme sprigs
Salt and Pepper
2 tbs oil
16 oz pkg cheese ravioli, fresh or frozen
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into pieces

Heat oil in a skillet.
Add squash, season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook covered 8 min.
Add garlic and thyme and cook uncovered until squash is tender and beginning to brown, 3 min. more.
Cook ravioli according to package directions.
Transfer ravioli to plates, top with squash mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan, then SERVE...

[Zana]

Black Bean and Butternut Quinoa

Sara, from Institute of HeartMath
January 8, 2012
2:00 pm

This dish is as colorful as it is delicious. The subtle sweetness of the squash is a perfect complement to the black beans and quinoa. Not only is it moist and flavorful, but quinoa provides all eight essential amino acids.
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup fresh butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 cup diced onion
3/4 cup black beans, canned or cooked, rinsed
2 cups water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1/4 t. cumin
½ t. turmeric
½ t. salt
½ t. palm sugar*
Dash cayenne
Dash black pepper
3 tablespoon olive oil
Toss the cubed and peeled squash in 1 tablespoon olive oil along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon palm sugar and dash each cayenne and black pepper. Pour into pan and cook in pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
In covered pot, heat quinoa with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until all liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and let sit for five minutes. Fluff with a spoon.
Sautee onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil until well caramelized.
Mix quinoa, beans, onions and squash. Add seasonings, parsley and lemon juice and last tablespoons of olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
Serves 4
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Tips from the HeartMath kitchen
*Palm sugar is made from the sap of a sugar palm tree (also called date palm). Coconut sugar comes from the buds of coconut tree flowers. They are two different types of sugars, but sometimes you can find a combination of both. Both are natural sweeteners that come from trees and are collected as sap — like North American maple syrup. The sap is then boiled in enormous vats to create either a sugar paste (sold in jars or tins) or rock-like chunks of sugar also known as “jaggery.” (Jaggery can be made from cane sugar as well – it just means the solid, rock-like form of sugar.) I have both palm and coconut sugar in my kitchen. It came in bags and looks like brown sugar.



Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/bla...#ixzz1iz35exfc

[Zana]

Nutty Squash Ravioli Filling

1 small butternut squash
1/2 cup almonds or hazelnuts
1 cup onions, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut squash into quarters, remove seeds, place in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water.
Cover, bake till tender.
Cool, then scrape out the flesh and mash.
Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Place almonds or hazlenuts on a cookie sheet and roast until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
Let cool, then rub off their skins.

Saute onion, garlic in oil until browned.
Add 1 cup squash, cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Use to fill pasta dough of your choice, cook as desired.

[Zana]

CARAMELIZED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WEDGES WITH A SAGE HAZELNUT PESTO
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7374_c...hazelnut_pesto

Your Best Butternut Squash Contest Winner!

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Butternut Squash

A&M's Testing Notes:

Remember that potato chip commercial that goes: "Betcha can't eat just one?" Well, that's kind of how we felt, eating these squash wedges right out of the bowl. With our fingers. In a 500-degree oven, melissav's squash develops gorgeous bronzed edges and an almost candied interior. A hint of cayenne brings a subtle kick. The pesto, almost impossibly fragrant, is rich and subtle at the same time. It's garlicky without being overpowering, the toasted hazelnuts give it richness and depth, and the ricotta salata lends the otherwise earthy pesto a fresh salinity. We dare you to eat just one wedge. - A&M

melissav's Notes:
Sage and butternut squash are a classic pairing. This is my riff on that pairing - a combination of squash wedges roasted at a very high heat topped with a hazelnut, sage, and ricotta salata pesto-ish topping. The idea to make a pesto using sage was inspired by the sage pesto in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. The finished dish is great hot or at room temperature. - melissav

Serves 4

Sage, Hazelnut, Ricotta Salata Pesto:
1/4 cup sage, chopped
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1/4 cup + 2 TB ricotta salata, crumbled or chopped until a medium fine crumble
salt

Butternut Squash:
2 butternut squashes [about 3.5 lbs total when unpeeled]
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne, depending on taste

1. Preheat the oven to 500 and place a rack in the lowest slot in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Peel the butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut each squash half in half widthwise, right where the slender part curves out to the bulge. Cut each quarter into about 1 inch wedges (see picture) and place in a bowl.

3. Toss squash with olive oil, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Place in a single layer on baking sheet.

4. Roast for 10-15 minutes until caramelized. Remove from oven and flip over. Bake another 10-15 minutes until caramelized on the other side and cooked through. The pieces on the edges of the baking sheet will caramelize first so you want to move around during the baking time.

5. While the squash is roasting, make the pesto: (1) warm 3 TB olive oil, sage, and garlic in a small pan over very low heat just until the oil bubbles. Pour in a small bowl, reserving the garlic clove. (2) Place the toasted hazelnuts in mini food processor along with the garlic clove and process until a fine crumble and add to the bowl (alternatively, you can do by hand or in a mortar and pestle). (3) add the cheese to the bowl along with 1-2 TB more olive oil and stir until combined and salt to taste. This is not a traditional pesto - more nutty than herby and not so much oil.

6. Once the squash is roasted, place in a large bowl and toss with pesto to taste. Dig in.


You warm the garlic clove with the sage and oil. Once warmed, you put the sage and oil in a bowl. You reserve the garlic clove after it is warmed because you will be adding it to the processor with the nuts in the next step. Hope this helps.

parker added I have an obsession for butternut squash ravioli, but I'm usually disappointed by its blandness. So I did an "inside out" version, dumping this whole dish into a big bowl of linguini. Big flavour at last - worked great!

mtrelaun added Did you know that this recipe makes the most delicious soup ever? Last night I puréed the roasted squash with chicken stock, and it was fab. I've made it into soup twice. The first time, I topped it with the pesto. The second time, I didn't have the ingredients for the pesto so I put a blob of Greek yoghurt and some bacon crumbles on top. Fab both times!

hardlikearmour added Another recipe I've seen that uses ricotta salata suggests either French feta, pecorino romano, or cotija. For this recipe i think the pecorino would be too hard, but the cotija or feta would work well.

[Redbaron]

ohhhhh I am definitely going to try that one Zana! Thanks so much!