Winter Squash Recipes

Introduction.

I received lots of requests for these recipes after featuring them in Meals from the Garden. Many of us have winter squash stashed from our gardens, farmer’s markets, and groceries this time of year. These are two wonderful recipes I tried this week, neither of which take much time to make. And at the bottom, instructions for roasting the seeds, and links to more recipes.

WINTER SQUASH SOUFFLÉ

I made this with our blue ballet squash from the garden (which, by the way, is my new favorite squash!). However, you could use any winter squash - each will give it a unique flavor. This recipe is adapted from The Classic Zucchini Cookbook.

Ingredients.

4 cups worth of winter squash (approx. one 4 lb. squash)

5 eggs

4 T butter

3 T brown sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1 T grated orange or lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons or one orange)

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Steps.

1. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. (You can set the seeds aside for roasting later if you like.)

2. Place the squash halves upside down on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Add about one inch of water to the baking sheet, and bake at 400F for 45-60 minutes, until soft.

3. Remove squash from baking sheet and let it cool for 30-60 minutes. Note: you can do these three steps earlier in the day, or the day before and store in fridge. While it’s cooling, you can roast the seeds (see recipe below).

4. Remove the squash from the skins with a spoon and measure the pulp in a measuring cup.

5. Preheat oven to 350F (if you’ve been roasting the seeds, you just need to turn it down).

6. Butter and flour a 6-cup dish, or 6 ramekins.

7. In a large mixing bowl, combine the squash, egg yolks, butter, sugar, salt, lemon/orange zest, nutmeg, and pepper. Mix well (you can do this by hand - rather than a mixer - if you cut the butter into small pieces first).

8. In a different bowl, beat the egg whites until they’re stiff. Then fold them into the squash mixture, and transfer into the dish or ramekins (see photo above).

9. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and if you stick a skewer into the center it should come out dry, not wet.

10. Serve immediately.

Notes: 1. If you’ve never made a soufflé before, you should know that it will “fall” if you wait more than about ten minutes to serve it. The taste is the same, but it loses some of its fluffiness. 2. This would also make a great dessert soufflé by increasing the sugar to one cup, increasing the nutmeg slightly, adding a bit more zest, and omitting the pepper.

WINTER SQUASH CASSEROLE

I made this with our blue ballet squash from the garden. However, you could use any winter squash - each will give it a unique flavor. This recipe is adapted from “Autumn Squash Pasta” in Recipes from America’s Small Farms.

Ingredients.

4 lbs. winter squash

1 lb. ziti, penne, or rotini pasta

1/2 cup olive oil

2 T unsalted butter

2 large leeks, coarsely chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

(Or substitute 6 scallions for the leeks and onions as I did!)

2-3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 t kosher or sea salt

1 t fresh ground black pepper

1 cup water (or white wine, if you have it)

1/3-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2-3 T chopped fresh parsley

Steps.

1. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. (You can set the seeds aside for roasting later if you like.)

2. Place the squash halves upside down on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Add about one inch of water to the baking sheet, and bake at 400F for 45-60 minutes, until soft.

3. Remove squash from baking sheet and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Note: you can do these three steps earlier in the day, or the day before and store in fridge.

4. While it’s cooling, cook the pasta in boiling water (salted “like the sea,” says Matt). Cook for 3 minutes less than the cooking time on the package. Drain. Set aside.

5. Remove the squash from the skins with a spoon.

6. Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the leeks & onion (or scallions), garlic, salt, and pepper. Saute until the onion is translucent but make sure the garlic does not burn.

7. Add the squash and 1/2 cup of water/wine, stirring until a thick sauce is formed. Add extra water/wine as needed to make it thick but not too thick.