"butternut" news and stories

The term squash covers a whole host of scrumptious fruits - yes, they are fruits.

They are grouped basically into summer squash and winter squash. Summer squash is harvested as an immature fruit, and winter squash is harvested in the fall or winter when it has ripened. Zucchini is probably the most commonly used summer squash, and winter squashes include everyone's favorites: butternut, buttercup, acorn, pumpkin, and spaghetti squash. The skin of a winter squash is hard, and requires cooking.

Squash can be a great, healthier alternative to potato or pasta in many recipes. Here are eight great ways to serve up squash, starting with one you don't have to cook:

1. Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini
2. Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Wild Rice Soup
3. Winter Squash Mash (with kabocha squash)
4. Best Ever Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (works with other winter squash seeds, too)
5. Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar and Butter
6. Yellow Squash Casserole
7. Herbed Spaghetti Squash (if you fail, just dump tomato sauce on it and lie)
8. Pumpkin Pie Straight from the Pumpkin

These recipes are varied enough that you could make them all for one giant meal and have a squash feast! If there's someone in your life you have to lie to about there being squash in what they're eating, spaghetti squash with pasta sauce is usually a safe bet. Or, you can totally get away with soup - picky eaters often don't pay attention to the broth, just the stuff floating in there. Good luck and happy squashing!

Late last week, I happened to drop mention of the Ginger Squash we often have for Thanksgiving around my family table. I got several requests for the recipe and so I'm now going to do my best to create one for you, despite the fact that this is not a dish I've ever tried to write down and I don't think I've ever made it exactly the same way twice.

My cousin Jeremy is the one who first innovated this dish, using freshly ground ginger (although dried works) and a lots of cream. One year he wasn't able to come and so I did my best to create something akin to his regular offering. Depending on how many people are going to be at dinner, I buy either two slabs of Hubbard Squash or two Butternut Squashes (Acorn Squashes also work well). I steam them until they are fork tender on the stove top because the oven is occupied with the turkey.

When the are completely cooked, I scrape all the flesh off the skin and put it into a large bowl. I mash it together with butter (2-3 tablespoons), a little whole milk, fresh ginger grated on a microplane (between 1/2 a teaspoon and a teaspoon, depending on how pungent it is and how much squash you are working with), salt and pepper. When everything is combined, I pull out the trusty old immersion blender and give it a few whirs with that to ensure a smooth texture. I tend to think that the squash is plenty sweet just the way it is, but if you like it a bit sweeter, feel free to add a little brown sugar.

I adore pumpkin and other winter squashes in both sweet and savory applications, from the simple pleasure of roasted butternut squash to the classic pumpkin pie. If you've only experienced pumpkin pie, however, I have to say that you're missing out and Pumpkin, Butternut & Squash: 30 Sweet and Savory Recipes is a book that can help get you back on the right track, the track to getting more use out of those delicious squashes. Author Elsa Petersen-Schepelern uses them in salads, soups, pasta dishes and desserts, all with photos so appealing that even someone who claims not to be a fan of pumpkin (or any squash, for that matter, as there are a few mentions of summer squashes, too), will at least agree to try some.

The short book gives a good overview of its topic. The recipes are excellent and quite innovative, including things like Pumpkin Samosas, Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Red Onions and Lentils, Stuffed Sugar Pumpkins with Pesto and Goat Cheese and Japanese Squash and Miso Soup. Other applications include Pumpkin Raisin Bread, Zucchini and Pecan Tea Bread and Pumpkin Biscuits.

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