Winter squash are making their way into late CSA boxes, and it's time to start thinking about what to do with the plenitude of squash that will often be the only local vegetable available in the next few months.
Buttercup squash are a way to ease into squash-eating. They are small, with charmingly round caps on their heads. They would look nice as a centerpiece on the table for a few days, perhaps in a bowl with some apples. Then eat them together, like with this recipe for Buttercup Squash with Apples.
The flesh of this squash is dense and bright orange, but not as sweet as the butternut. It is also quite firm, so it's a good candidate for curry, like in this Vegetable and Chicken Curry, or our Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry.
You can also simply roast it like an acorn squash, and sprinkle with either curry powder, cinnamon sugar, or some other spice of your liking. See the recipe here: Sweet and Spicy Squash.
Are you eating squash yet this fall? What are you doing with it?
(Image credit: Hormel Foods)
Another nice way to serve squash or pumpkin is to simmer it with dark sugar, papayas, and spices (allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, whatever you like). The squash takes on the dark color of the sugar and gets a nice caramelized stickiness. Great with vanilla ice cream!
My mother makes spaghetti squash by slicing it in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds and pulp in the center, and then putting in butter, some nutmeg, and lots of freshly grated romano cheese. Then she just roasts them until tender, and serves as is. So delicious.
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I picked up my first acorn squash a couple of weeks ago. Found out that somehow, in my recent move, my cinnamon went AWOL. Never fear-- I ended up simply roasting it with butter, salt, brown sugar and cardamom. The cardamom was a nice, warm change to the predictable cinnamon, and my guest gobbled it up declaring it the best he'd had. Score!
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I find the fastest way (aside from microwaving) is to peel with a vegetable peeler, dice, and sautee on the stove with a little bit of butter, a half a cup or so of vegetable stock, a half an onion, and spices. I prefer cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and a dash of cayanne.
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