| Many squash seasons ago, Mrs. Delinsky, a regular customer at the market, complimented me on the large winter squash display that I was building. She said she enjoyed looking at the many varieties with their distinct shapes and vast array of colors, but she would never take one home to cook. She went
on to explain that, although she loved winter squash, she was intimidated by their hard shell and that she was afraid that the sharp knife would end up slipping in the process and cutting her. I couldn't accept that customer was not able to enjoy a produce item that she loved so much, so I offered to
cut all her squashes right there on site. She said that she needed to overcome this fear of squash cutting and it was my job to help her, so I offered-up a few tips. I told her to gently slit the tough squash skin lengthwise with a large heavy knife and slowly rock it back and forth 'til it made its
way through the entire squash. She was still a little perturbed so I asked if cutting was the only thing keeping her from making such a versatile veggie a part of her palatable practices.
When she confessed that it was, I walked into the backroom, grabbed a mallet and gave it to her. I told her to lay the squash on her counter or cutting board, or someplace solid at approximately waste high, make a small cut into the squash with the knife and then tap the top edge of the knife near
the handle with the mallet until it was finally split in half. This worked and, although I never got my mallet back, she thanked me by keeping my squash margin in the black for a few years.
Winter squash, so called because it stores well almost all winter long, is native to the Americas and, like corn and beans, it played a significant role in Native American agriculture with ceremonies at planting and harvesting. Its origin is in Central and South America and
dates back as far as 7000 BC. The word squash comes from the Algonquin "askoot asquash" which means eaten green.
Winter Squash is one of the produce stands most nutritious vegetables. It falls into the National Cancer Institute's Five a Day the Color Way category of yellow/orange. Other in-season fruit and veggies that fall into this category are sweet potatoes, grapefruit, oranges, papayas, gold beets, tangerines,
and gold bell peppers to name a few. According to the Produce for Better Health Foundation, each color of fruit and vegetables provides a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that our bodies need for good health, including the reduced risk of certain cancers and heart disease.
Although it varies in each variety most winter squash is an excellent source of Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and a good source of calcium.
So lets run down some common varieties.
Danish squash also known as Acorn squash because its shape resembles and acorn. It has a dark green exterior and deep ribbed furrows that run from the stem to the blossom end of the fruit. This squash comes to us in white, yellow and orange as well. A favorite due
their medium size and are perfect to stuff and bake.
Kabocha looks somewhat like a green squatty pumpkin. It has a deep orange interior and dense flesh. Its flavor resembles a combination of sweet potato and pumpkin. |
Butternut is probably the most popular among squash lovers ( besides the British Open) Tan colored on the outside and deep orange on the inside. It looks like a trombone because it is long and cylindrical with a bulbous end on the blossom side.
It is Sweet in flavor and moist in texture and famous for butternut squash soup.
Hubbard Squash comes to us in the range of 3 pounds up to 25 pounds. Some Hubbard squashes have a dark orange exterior and then there's the famous blue Hubbard squash which is gray in exterior but still orange on the inside. Not as common on the
produce stands as they used to be, but still worth a try if you run into one. They make great pies and good mashed squash dishes.
Banana This well-loved variety due to its size, is most common seen year round on the produce stand cut and wrapped in plastic. It tastes great in pies and is good for baking.
Spaghetti has yellow shell and spaghetti-like stringy flesh that does actually resemble spaghetti. This is one of my favorites because it is so versatile in replacing noodles in any dish that calls for them. This includes traditional semolina
flour and rice noodles.
I love to make a pasta primavera with a white sauce using spaghetti squash in place of noodles along with cut carrots, broccoli, chopped kale, fresh or frozen peas and any other vegetable of the season. It is also a good use in stir fry in place of soba noodles.
There are several more varieties that are not described here like the smaller Delicata, Sweet dumpling and Carnival along with about 80 others. If you like squash they are all worth a try.
When selecting squash in the store look for a hard unblemished shell. Squash should be heavy for its size and free of any mold spots or cracks. Stay away from shriveled shells with soft spots. This is an indication of age and dehydration. At home, store squash
in a cool dry location, but not in the refrigerator unless it has been peeled.
To bake winter squash, cut it in half as described earlier in this column and scoop out the seeds with a large spoon. Place the halves cut side down and bake at 400º for about an hour and a half. This will fully bake and caramelize the squash and bring out
the most flavor. Do not add water, this will steam it instead of baking it. There are other methods of baking and or micro-waving squash that are faster and some squashes are accompanied with a sticker that gives you instructions. In fact, on the pages to follow Roy offers up an
amazing squash recipe.
A recent addition to the fresh cut section in your local grocers produce department is fresh peeled and cubed butternut and banana squash. Just empty the bag and cook. This would have been a great item for Mrs. Delinsky had it been available way back when. |
