Ideas for Squash

25 OCTOBER VTK THEME:  WINTER SQUASH

We're in the heart of the season of winter squash! The October 25 VTK meeting, 3:00 p.m., features this versatile vegetable.  Summer squashes like zucchini, yellow, and the rare treat of pattypan, are of course delightful. But at their best, harvested from garden or farm in July and August, summer squashes offer transient pleasure. Coming into maturity later, in September and even October, winter squash provide more substantial nutrition and can be kept for months, properly stored.

Thus, wherever they are grown, winter squash come to fall and winter tables in supporting and sometimes starring roles.  Almost all traditional winter squash recipes that are not vegan can be made so with minimal change to ingredients.  Traditional and more novel savory dishes include stuffed squash (grains, quinoa, vegetables like bell peppers and onions; maybe dried fruit like cranberries; nuts or seeds), roasted, and of course mashed.  Winter squash can feature in soups, whether pureed or in a mixture with vegetables and legumes, such as Molly Katzen’s “Gypsy Soup” .  Sweet dishes include, of course, pies, sweetbreads, and even tiramisu- time-consuming but delicious.

Commonly available varieties of winter squash include butternut- with pale brown skin and shape like an elongated lightbulb- and acorn, acorn-shaped with dark green skin and ridges.  For variety, seek out less common but delicious varieties like silky-smooth Kabocha squash. 

Pumpkins, wonderful as they are for decoration, are technically winter squashes, too.  But we have found that other kinds of winter squash, like butternut, are far superior to pumpkin, even for pies.  And easier to prepare, too!

If you have an Instant Pot, try this for preparing winter squash: 

            About 1-1/2 inches of water in the bottom

            Circular rack in the water to keep squash off the bottom surface

            Rinse off and put whole squash on the rack.

            Set cover and cook on high pressure:  8 minutes for mashed squash or pie filling

                                                                        6-7 minutes for cubes for roasting or soup

Squash will need to cool for 15 minutes or so after pressure release and removal of lid.  Once cooked, skin will be easy to remove.