Winter Squash:

Roasted, Pureed, Added to Risotto, It’s All Easy Once You Cut It
By Domenica Marchetti

The Washington Post

Wednesday, October 30, 2002 

Every fall when I was growing up, a bright red-orange squash with a rugged rind would appear on our kitchen counter. The squash, which I later recognized as hubbard, was somewhat smaller than a basketball and shaped like a lopsided teardrop. For a few days, its purpose was merely ornamental, a vivid sign of the changing season, until my mother took a big kitchen knife to it, reducing it first to chunks, then to puree, and finally, to pumpkin pie. 

Or, more accurately, squash pie. My mother knew that winter squash, with their sweet flavor and fine-grained flesh, often made better pie than most pumpkins, which tend to be stringy or watery and sometimes flat in taste. 

Other than pie, though, she did not have much use for winter squash in the kitchen (at least not until years later, when she discovered they make a fine filling for ravioli and are excellent sliced and sauteed in olive oil with a sprinkling of sugar and a splash of wine vinegar). 

I remember, at about age 12, watching a neighbor who was a couple of years older than I prepare dinner for her family, carefully halving dark green acorn squash with a knife, placing them on a baking sheet, then filling the halves with a mixture of melted butter, honey, cinnamon and raisins. This all-American recipe was instantly appealing to my Italian-trained palate. I went home and re-created the dish for my parents and sister. It was, in truth, kind of boring -- you had to make sure you got a good bit of butter and honey with each spoonful of squash. 

I left winter squash alone for a while, until some years ago, when I started seeing more and more varieties at farmers markets and eventually in grocery stores, some of them squat and solid as pit bulls, others long and almost elegant. Some were in creamy, demure colors, while others sported garish orange and green splotches. My earlier fascination returned and I've been learning about the many virtues of winter squash ever since. 

For instance, while popular acorn squash is a fine receptacle for, say, sausage and cheese stuffing, or even a candy-sweet glaze like the one from my childhood, it is by no means the tastiest of the many squash varieties when baked. A sweet dumpling or a carnival squash, split in half, brushed with oil and baked until its skin collapses and its flesh has begun to caramelize, is so earthy-sweet in flavor it needs no other embellishment. 

Despite their wildly differing appearances -- from the muted, bulbous butternut to the colorfully striped, crownlike turban squash, from the tiny Jack-be-Little to the giant, pink-fleshed banana -- winter squash belong to the same plant family, Cucurbita, which also includes cucumber, melon, zucchini, pumpkins and ornamental gourds. There are three main species, says Tony Bratsch, an extension specialist in the department of horticulture at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. C. pepo, characterized by a narrow hard stem, includes delicata and carnival squash, as well as some pumpkins and even zucchini. C. maxima, which has a fat, fleshy stem, includes hubbards, banana and sweet meat squash. C. moschata, distinguished by its hard flared-out stem and thin rind, includes various butternuts. 

A winter squash's hard rind can be tough to wrestle with, but it is also what keeps the vegetable from deteriorating over time. Winter squash are nutritional powerhouses, packed with beta carotene, potassium, iron, folic acid and dietary fiber. With a large, sharp kitchen knife and a sturdy paring knife you should be able to open most winter squash. (See box at right)

In the kitchen, their biggest virtue by far is how utterly accommodating they are, not only because of the many ways they can be cooked but also because they pair with just about any flavor, from Middle Eastern curries to Southwestern chilies, from cream sauces to vinaigrettes. Dress them up ornately with spices and stuffing or leave them completely unadorned. Peeled and cubed, they can be roasted with root vegetables or added to stews and chilies, pasta and risotto. You can grate them and saute them or turn them into fritters. Pureed, they add color and depth to mashed potatoes and soups, muffins, scones and yeasted breads, not to mention custards, cakes, pies, even cheesecake. Grated or cut into chunks or slices, winter squash cook within minutes. But they are often best baked slowly so that their natural sugars caramelize. 

What other ingredient is so hospitable?  The carrot makes a fine soup, is delicious sauteed or roasted, and can even be turned into a great cake. But have you ever tried to stuff one? 

And, as if winter squash didn't already offer enough culinary gifts, there are the seeds. Just like pumpkin seeds, squash seeds can be tossed with oil, salt and seasoning, and roasted in the oven for a nutritious snack. They're a good source of protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. 

All this and looks, too. A lot of people buy winter squash to display them on their front porch or autumn table. Just remember that what's on the inside is just as beautiful as what's on the outside.

How to Deal With Winter Squash

TO SELECT: Choose a winter squash that is heavy for its size. The heaviness indicates moisture. The moister the squash, the longer it will last. Size itself does not matter; a small squash is not necessarily sweeter or better-tasting than a large one. Don't worry if the squash has some blemishes or a light spot from where it was resting on the ground, but make sure there are no soft spots. Select a squash with a good-size stem; a stem cut too short will cause early decay. After choosing a squash, wipe it with a damp paper towel, then a dry one. 

TO STORE: The skin that makes winter squash a chore to cut also makes an excellent storage container. In fact, some horticulturists contend that a squash that has been stored has a better, more concentrated flavor than one that has been newly picked. Store your squash in a cool, dry place. Do not store a raw whole squash in the refrigerator, as the humidity will cause it to deteriorate quickly. Cut pieces of raw squash may be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator for a few days. A better alternative is to cook the squash and freeze it. I like to mash the cooked squash and pack it into freezer bags in handy one- or two-cup portions, then keep it in the freezer for as long as six months. 

TO CUT: The most difficult challenge of cooking winter squash? Cutting them open.  With their hard skins and ungainly shapes and sizes, winter squash, whether large or small, can be tough to cut and peel. They also have a tendency to roll around on the counter to evade your knife blade, so you have to show them who's boss.

 For a squash that sits upright, on its own without assistance (pumpkin or turban, for example), start by slicing off a sliver from the bottom. This will help you steady the squash. Insert the tip of a large, sharp kitchen knife into the upper part of the squash, near the stem, and bear down on one side, cutting slowly and steadily, while using the other hand to hold the squash steady. Use a rocking motion to cut downward through the hard flesh. Alternately, you can use a rubber mallet for assistance. Tap it firmly against the knife blade near the handle to help the blade slice all the way through the squash. Rotate the squash and repeat the procedure on the other side to completely split the squash.

For a squash that rests on its side (acorn, butternut or hubbard, for example), slice off a sliver from the side so that it will stay flat on the cutting surface. Position the squash with the blossom (bottom) end facing you and the stem pointed in the other direction. Insert the knife at the far end, near the stem and bear down, using a rocking motion to cut through to the bottom. Cut next to the stem, rather than through it, which is extremely difficult.

Once a squash is split in half, scoop out the seeds from the cavity with a metal spoon and reserve or discard. The squash then can easily be cut into wedges. Position it cut-side up and slice through the flesh first, then the skin.

TO PEEL: Squash is easiest to peel when it's been reduced to manageable pieces. Thin-skinned winter squash such as butternut can be peeled with a vegetable peeler, but I prefer to use a paring knife for both thin- and thick-skinned squash, holding a chunk in one hand and paring off the skin in strips. For fluted or grooved squash such as acorn, carnival or delicata, you will need to dig in a little to get at the skin in the grooves. This isn't hard, but it does require concentration as the flesh of winter squash can be slippery.

If you don't feel confident tackling a whole raw squash with a peeler or paring knife, you can pre-bake it for a few minutes at 350 degrees until the skin has softened enough to be cut through easily. This will take about five minutes for a small squash and up to 20 minutes or so for a large one.

RECIPE:

Baked Butternut Medallions with Maple Glaze

Makes 4 to 6 servings

These golden round slices of squash make a perfect autumnal accompaniment to roast chicken or pork. The rich maple glaze accentuates the natural sweetness in winter squash. If you prefer a milder -- but still sweet -- flavor, substitute honey. 

3 tablespoons butter, plus additional for the baking sheet

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (may substitute honey)

Kosher or sea salt

2 to 3 pounds winter squash, such as butternut or delicata squash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the butter and maple syrup until the butter is completely melted. Add the salt and stir to combine. Set aside.

Rinse the outside of the squash. Cut the squash in half crosswise where the neck meets the bulbous bottom part of the squash that contains the seeds; reserve the bottom for another use. Using a paring knife or a sharp vegetable peeler, remove and discard the peel from the squash and cut the squash crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick medallions.

Butter a baking sheet and arrange the squash on the sheet. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the tops and sides of the squash with the butter-syrup mixture.

Roast the squash for 10 minutes, baste with some of the remaining butter-syrup mixture and bake for 5 more minutes. Turn the squash, baste again with the mixture and bake for 10 minutes. Turn 1 last time and bake for 5 minutes, until golden on both sides and tender throughout.

Copyright 2002 The Washington Post