Squashes

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I appear to be entering a squash-intensive phase of my culinary life. Mostly what I've done to now is just stir-fry zooks or yeller squashes, or cut the zooks into lengthwise quarters, rub the cut surfaces with olive oil, salt and pepper 'em, then roast in a toaster oven.

Then I got a chayote and tried the same season and roast procedure, which was pretty good. So now I think I'm ready to graduate to bigger things.

My question to you is, like what?

― a bulldog fed a cookie shaped like a kitten (austin), Sunday, 18 February 2007 22:01 (nineteen years ago)

Are you ready to move up to the harder squashes then? I always knew zooks were a gateway squash.

― jaq (jaq), Sunday, 18 February 2007 23:32 (nineteen years ago)

Butternut squash is awesome, and one of the least labor intensive things to cook well ever - it's like nature's tv dinner (erm, except tasty and doesn't cook in 10 minutes)

― Shadowcat (A-Ron Hubbard), Sunday, 18 February 2007 23:53 (nineteen years ago)

I mean you pretty much just halve the fucker, de-pulp it, maybe add some olive oil and/or butter and/or garlic and/or whatever, and bake it, and there's lots of leeway on the bake time as long as it's not undercooked.

― Shadowcat (A-Ron Hubbard), Sunday, 18 February 2007 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

I think I am ready for the hard squashes! Is butternut a hard one? Cause I like butter, and nuts...

― a bulldog fed a cookie shaped like a kitten (austin), Monday, 19 February 2007 02:08 (nineteen years ago)

I need to move up to the hard squashes. I was at the store this morning and they had a bunch of perfectly good acorn squash reduced to 99c ea because nobody knows what to do with them.

― Bellicose Veins (Rock Hardy), Monday, 19 February 2007 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, butternut is the big phallic one with the bulbous bottom.

I think you can do acorn squash the same way as butternut squashes, but I've never tried.

Butternut squash is very rich and sweet - not unlike yams.

― Shadowcat (A-Ron Hubbard), Monday, 19 February 2007 05:21 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, I don't know if yams are naturally sweet because I've only ever had them prepared in a sweet way.

― Shadowcat (A-Ron Hubbard), Monday, 19 February 2007 05:22 (nineteen years ago)

I find half a butternut takes forever to go soft, so I chop it up into chunks before roasting with lots of garlic. If you squoosh the flesh into a blender and add some chicken stock, it makes a very good soup.

― Madchen (Madchen), Monday, 19 February 2007 13:16 (nineteen years ago)

Yams are quite sweet on their own - I roast them, then peel and schmoosh with loads of butter. Also, you can cook any hard squash (acorn, pumpkin, hubbard, turban, butternut) the same way and it will be yummy. Butternuts have the advantage of all that flesh in the top part.

― jaq (jaq), Monday, 19 February 2007 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

I put butternut or acorn squash cut side down in 1/8 inch of water and put it in the oven. It steams it and makes it nice and moist. Add butter. So good.

― clevo lk (clevo lk), Monday, 19 February 2007 19:10 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I always bake the but'nut soup on thanksgiving - I usually add some ginger.

― Shadowcat (A-Ron Hubbard), Monday, 19 February 2007 21:23 (nineteen years ago)

cubing a big butternut squash is a bore but I've made a nice pasta dish w/squash bits, broccoli rabe, chicken and carmelized onion.

― m coleman (lovebug ), Monday, 19 February 2007 22:34 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I did the squash pasta thing once too - it overcame my skepticism.

― Shadowcat (A-Ron Hubbard), Tuesday, 20 February 2007 05:50 (nineteen years ago)

Squash and sage risotto is pretty good.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 20 February 2007 13:20 (nineteen years ago)

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