Winter Squash Isn’t Really Yucky … or Winter

Squash is one of those foods that people love to hate. I’m
talking about so-called winter squash, the hard-shelled variety
coming into its peak, now that zucchini season is drawing to an
end.
Squash is one of those foods that people love to hate. I’m talking about so-called winter squash, the hard-shelled variety coming into its peak, now that zucchini season is drawing to an end.

Pureed squash especially seems like a dish that kids decide is “yucky” partly, perhaps, because it looks like things that really are yucky. This decision can then become a fear of trying any new, unidentifiable food – especially vegetables.

It’s a pity, because winter squashes – such as acorn, butternut and even the pumpkin – are durable (meaning they’ll take longer than many vegetables to spoil if you forget about them), packed with nutrition and can be delicious if prepared with imagination.

The one squash that I will not provide a recipe for is the spaghetti squash. This is the variety whose pulp becomes stringy when baked, and it is often proposed served with cheese and sauces as if it were actually spaghetti.

I love vegetables, but I would never stoop so low as to pretend a vegetable was pasta.

Here is a great recipe from Martha Stewart’s Web site that combines vegetables with pasta. The mellow, slightly sweet flavor of the squash blends with the cheeses to create a real contender in the comfort-food category.

Acorn Squash Lasagna

(Serves 4)    

Olive oil, for baking dish

4 cups acorn squash puree or 2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen winter squash puree, thawed    

1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

Coarse salt and ground pepper   

1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese   

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese   

8 no-boil lasagna noodles (half of an 8-ounce package)

Step 1:   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix squash puree with sage, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, mix ricotta with 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Step 2:  Lay two lasagna noodles in the bottom of prepared dish; spread with half the squash mixture. Layer with two more noodles, and spread with half the ricotta mixture. Repeat layering with remaining noodles and mixtures. Sprinkle top (ricotta mixture) with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Step 3:  Cover baking dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lasagna is heated through, about 45 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Acorn Squash Puree

(Serves 4)

2 whole acorn squash (about 2 pounds each)

2 tablespoons butter   

1 teaspoon coarse salt   

Ground nutmeg (optional)

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place two whole acorn squash (about 2 pounds each) on a rimmed baking sheet; bake, turning occasionally, until very tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 1 hour.

Note: The squash can also be cooked in the microwave. Place whole squash on a paper towel; microwave on high, turning occasionally, until very tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 2: When squash is cool enough to handle, halve each squash lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds; scrape out flesh from squash halves, and discard skin. Puree with a potato masher or a heavy fork. You can also use a food processor, but a blender creates an undesirable texture.

Step 3: In a medium saucepan, combine squash puree with 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Stop here if using the puree in lasagne recipe. Otherwise, cook over medium heat until hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle lightly with ground nutmeg

This next dish has overcome peoples’ squash-phobia to the extent of being one of Better Homes and Gardens “best-loved” recipes. 

Squash, Pear and Onion au Gratin

(from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Serves 6)

1 1/2 pounds butternut, buttercup or banana squash

1 large onion, sliced and  separated into rings

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium pear, peeled and thinly sliced (1 cup)

3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

3 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

1 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Peel squash; slice crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. (If using butternut squash, first cut the squash in half lengthwise.) Remove and discard seeds and set squash aside.

Step 3: Cook onion rings in the 1 tablespoon butter for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender but not brown.

Step 4: Arrange half the squash slices in the bottom of an 8-inch-by-8-inch-by-2-inch baking dish. Top with half the pear slices. Repeat layers. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover with the cooked onions. Bake, covered in a 350 degree oven about 45 minutes or until nearly tender.

Step 5: Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine bread crumbs, bacon, walnuts, Romano cheese, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over vegetables. Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes more or until tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

This last recipe combines squash with spinach, a combination that might make some kids run away screaming. So, offer it to your adult friends at an autumn dinner party and enjoy compliments instead.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach with Toasted Almond Dressing

(from The Gourmet Cookbook. Serves 6 as a first course)

1 (2- to 2 1/4-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)

5 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup whole almonds with skins (3 1/2 oz), very coarsely chopped

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 pound spinach, coarse stems discarded (10 cups)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Step 2: Toss squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a shallow baking pan, and spread cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper and roast in middle of oven, stirring once halfway through roasting, until squash is just tender and pale golden, about 30 minutes total. Cool in pan on a rack until warm, about 15 minutes.

Step 3: While squash is roasting, cook almonds in remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch skillet over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Pour almonds and oil into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl and cool until warm, about 10 minutes.

Step 4: When almonds and oil have cooled, whisk lemon juice into oil in bowl until combined well, then season with salt and pepper. Add squash, spinach and half of almonds to dressing and toss gently to coat.

Step 5: Divide salad among six salad plates and sprinkle with remaining almonds.