No Butternut Squash?

[itself]

I cannot find any butternut squash in three different supermarkets? Did they ship it all over to the troops? I finally settled for some frozen squash at Whole Foods.

Lisa

[OakLeaf]

That's weird. Where are you?

Must be sold out for Thanksgiving. I've got enough to last me through February, but there's plenty in the stores in Ohio, both organic and conventional.

[Tuckervill]

I was at the farm stand today and a lady came in asking for butternut squash. The clerk said, "We have some, but it's buried in all that other squash over there." The they spent about 5 minutes moving 40 other squashes to get to the few butternuts in the bin.

Last year I couldn't find pie pumpkins after the end of October, and today I bought 2 of their last 5 they had in stock.

There's a butternut squash conspiracy or something. :)

Karen

[Reesha]

Try hubbard squash instead. It's amaaaazing.

[NoNo]

Odd, I've had no problem finding it here. Actually, I think I'll go and buy some!

[Tri Girl]

I think I'd like squash if I knew how to cook it. Tried some spaghetti squash one time and it was deelish. Off to do some online squash cooking research...

[OakLeaf]

What kinds of recipes are you interested in? Winter squash can go just about anywhere on the spectrum from savory to sweet, from spectacularly simple to elaborate. The NYT just did a series of recipes last week, and I have a few favorites I could send your way.

It's extra weird that you all can't find butternut, now that I think about it, because my butternuts were SO much more productive than my Blue Ballet and kabocha squashes. It mostly had to do with my not taking the best care of them :rolleyes:, but the butternuts stood up to it out of vigor a lot more than because of location.


I'm making butternut squash ravioli for Thanksgiving (not the NYT recipe though). :)

[copperlegend]

I made an excellent butternut squash soup the other night! Peeled and cubed 2 squashes (medium sized). threw them in a pot with 2 cans of lite coconut milk, and topped it off with some veggie broth to cover. Simmered on the stove til the squash got mushy. Pureed it in the blender in batches, added some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper to taste. So velvety smooth! Served it with a salad and some crusty sourdough. Was enough to fill the tummies of me, the bf, and his friend.

[Tri Girl]

mmmm... I'll try that butternut squash soup. I had some at a Christmas party a couple years ago and was shocked to learn it was squash soup. Who knew it could be so tasty?

Oakleaf- I'd like to eat squash as a side or main dish, and preferably with a sweeter taste and probably on the simpler side of preparation. I just have no idea where to start looking. I'm NOT a baker/cooker- so the easier the better. I'm really trying to eat more veggies and would love some new ideas (other than the green beans, corn, and mixed frozen blend that we always have). If you have some favorite recipes, I'd LOVE to try them out. Thanks! :D

[Becky]

I had an awesome butternut squash dish at our office Thanksgiving potluck. Butternut squash, cubed and roasted with olive oil and fresh thyme, with toasted pecans and bleu cheese sprinkled over it. Fabulous!

[Trek420]

What kinds of recipes are you interested in? Winter squash can go just about anywhere on the spectrum from savory to sweet, from spectacularly simple to elaborate.

+1 on winter squash. This picture's a little dark but here's Trek & Duckonwheels Mom cutting her famous (within our family and friends) apple pie, with a also famous winter squash pie in the foreground. It's made from squash she grew. I prefer it to pumpkin.

Sorry, not giving the recipe :p ;)

[OakLeaf]

Soup is great! A stick blender makes it easy to purée soups right in the pot, it's my favorite kitchen appliance. You can use all kinds of different spice combinations in a squash soup. (Just remember to remove any woody spices like bay leaves or cinnamon sticks before puréeing. DAMHIK. :rolleyes:)


How about a butternut squash risotto (based on Lorna Sass recipe)? So easy and delicious.

1 small to medium onion or 4 shallots
Olive or grapeseed oil
1-1/2 c arborio or carnaroli rice
3-1/2 to 4 c vegetable stock or water*
1 small to medium butternut squash (1-1/2 lbs or so - although if a squash is not enormous I'll just use the whole thing and have a "squashier" risotto)
Salt and freshly ground white or black pepper

Optional: up to 1/2 c grated aged Parmesan cheese
up to 1/4 c freshly chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp dried rubbed sage or 1 tbsp minced fresh sage

Optional garnishes: shaved aged Parmesan cheese
drizzle of aged balsamico
drizzle of peppery or grassy extra virgin olive oil

*Note on stock: A lot of recipes call for chicken stock, and as we are not vegetarian I tried this once with homemade stock. IMO the chicken flavor was overwhelming and I would not do it again. YMMV. You can also substitute 1/2 c dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, for some of the water/stock. If you do this, add the wine first, stir until absorbed, then add the remaining stock and proceed with the recipe.


Scrub squash well, cut it in half and scoop out seeds, cut out any woody skin defects, blossom end and stem end, then cut into roughly 1" cubes. If you use an organic squash, peeling is not necessary. Mince or finely chop onions or shallots.

Heat stock to near boiling on the stovetop or in a glass container in the microwave (optional, but the risotto has a better consistency if the stock is warm when you add it).

Sauté onions or shallots in olive or grapeseed oil in a 4-qt or larger pressure cooker until translucent; do not brown. Reduce heat to medium low, add rice and stir to completely coat with oil. Add a little more oil if needed to thoroughly coat the rice. Stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add 3-1/2 c stock, stir, then place cubed squash on top of the rice. Lock the pressure cooker lid, turn heat to high, bring to high pressure then reduce heat to just low enough to maintain pressure and cook 5 minutes. Release pressure with a quick-release method (run under cold water for a jiggle-top cooker) and remove the lid.

Add salt and pepper and stir to mix. The squash will be creamy; it's up to you whether to fold gently and leave some identifiable squash cubes, or stir it all into a smooth mixture. If the rice seems dry (unlikely), add additional stock or water 1/4 cup at a time, and continue cooking until the rice is al dente, then add optional additions and serve with optional garnishes.

[Reesha]

Mmmm Jamie Oliver does a spicy squash risotto with mascarpone cream recipe that is to die for. I wants it.

[Tri Girl]

mmmmm- yummy! Can't wait to try it. Thanks! :)

[SheFly]

For quick and easy, cube your butternut squash and put into a microwave dish with a lid. Microwave for about 10 mins on high. Remove, and drain any water. Microwave again for between 5 and 10 mins (you want to be able to mash the squash when it's cooked).

Add butter and brown sugar (I use a lot of each :o), and HAND MASH.

Done. And delicious. I cook this about every two weeks all season.

SheFly

[wackyjacky1]

I only recently discovered butternut squash, and I'm addicted to it now. It's so goooood!

This recipe from Whole Paycheck...I mean, Whole Foods...knocked my socks off:
Butternut Squash with Wilted Spinach and Blue Cheese (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=2612)
The only thing I would change is I would toss in some toasted walnuts or pine nuts for extra texture.

Butternut squash, I "heart" you. http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/a194.gif

[OakLeaf]

Here's (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pumpkin18-2009nov18,0,5196858.story) the problem, most likely.

The story is about pumpkins, but most winter squashes mature around the same time.

I guess maybe the squashes in the stores here are more local - we didn't get most of the weather they're talking about. There was a week or two when it would've been too wet to harvest, but not long enough to hurt the totals much. I'm pretty sure the pumpkins are mostly local-ish.

[itself]

I'm in AZ, and we had the same problem last year, the tiny bit of butternut squash they had were small and gosh were they gritty!

Lisa

[Trek420]

I'm blaming it on climate change :o

[shootingstar]

Some areas are also recognizing the cooking versatility of squash and hence price has gone up.

I love squash but we don't buy as much as we used to 10 years ago. Back then, we used to buy one whole butternut squash for $1.00. When I was a child it was 25 cents per whole freakin' squash. Now in our area it's $1.49 per lb.

However this summer, when visiting a friend in tomato country ..about 300 kms. southwest of Toronto, we drove by fields of ripened squash. Still cheaply priced there for locals. Meaning $1.00 per whole squash, regardless of size.

I stir-fry small cubed butternut squash with onions, ginger root, garlic and add 1 tblsp. of soy sauce or less for squash amount to serve 2 people. Soy sauce added near beginning when squash starts to cook. Squash is tasty because of slight carmelization from stir-frying sear. Just cook squash until it's still lumpy soft. Takes about 15-20 min. This is my mother's unique recipe. In a way, it is a comfort, dynamic food for me. It does evoke memories of those tough, poor years that my parents endured when they were raising a large young family.

I don't bake squash and eat it like that. Too boring. :) Like more pizzaz. He makes a great squash soup..each time it's different. Different spices or he puts in a cut-up apple or pear or potato.