👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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Golden papaya squash, reputedly named for its shape, was new to me. Its flesh was on the dry/satiny-smooth side of the texture continuum which, I suspected, might fulfill an unspoken promise of sweetness, but this one needed some help in that department. (Remember: named for its shape, not its flavor.)

What you see here is my effort to rescue the situation with a glaze cobbled together from orange blossom water, brown sugar, melted butter and salt. Mission accomplished.

So there you have it. The final chapter in my thoroughly unscientific, absolutely non-exhaustive, utterly subjective treatise on diminutive winter squash.

Of course, now I’m facing a fridge full of leftover prepared squash, so I guess you know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow, right?
 
Pizza!      Sushi!!      Nachos!!!

ANYTHING BUT WINTER SQUASH!

 
 
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️
 
 

👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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We talked about sweet dumpling squash in the carnival squash post. This miniature charmer was sweeter than carnival squash (contrary to my expectations based on admittedly limited research) and almost a little nutty with a tender texture and thin skin, so I decided that it would make a perfectly irresistible example of stuffed squash, complete with edible serving bowl.

Turned out to be rather photogenic as well. I cut off the top, cleaned it out, and roasted it flesh side down until it was soft; then I filled it with a mixture of sweet cranberries, chewy wild rice, crunchy toasted cornbread croutons, sautéed apple cubes and pecans. Looks good enough to eat, right? I might even consider adding this to my already overstuffed Thanksgiving menu.

Next (and last) up, golden papaya squash.
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️
 
 

👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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With a unique oblong shape and striped coloration, delicata squash is easy to spot and even easier to prepare; its rich sweet flavor makes it another favorite in my kitchen. It’s often sliced in half lengthwise to function as a serving vessel, and when stuffed looks like an overladen canoe – possibly applicable as part of a strategy to entice children to eat their veggies, and perhaps even opening the door to countering some stereotypes about Native Americans and teaching kids about the Three Sisters: squash, corn, and beans which were planted together by the indigenous people of North America.

Its individual serving size and indisputably edible thin skin lends itself to preparations like this, another common delicata treatment. I simply sliced it into rings and removed the seeds, anointed it with a bit of EVOO and a touch of salt, and roasted it in a hot oven. (Hey, kids might think these are cute, too.) Incidentally, those are Thai basil flowers garnishing the squash – just because I had ’em.

Next up tetsukabuto squash.
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️
 
 

👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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Developed by Cornell University, honeynut squash is a new hybrid that’s a cross between butternut and buttercup squash, single serving size (this one was about 4½ inches long), and with an unbelievable flavor. My understanding is that it undergoes a period of temperature-controlled curing which condenses its sugars and intensifies its sweet, nutty, caramel taste.

I didn’t subject it to any special preparation other than what I did for the brulee squash and a few others that I wanted to sample unadorned. Its dark, sweet flesh aspires to be dessert; if winter squash and candy had a baby, it would be this. ‘Nuff said.

Look for them at your local farmers’ market or specialty produce store, and let me know what you think.

Next up, delicata squash.
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️
 
 

👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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The brulee squash is simply a compact, individually sized breed of butternut squash; this one was a mere 4½ inches long.

Since I’d never tasted one before, rather than doing anything fancy with it I merely halved it, cleaned it up, and roasted it, cut side down. Now, with a name like brulee, visions of crème brûlée danced in my head as it was cooking and I was looking forward to my first bite with the eager anticipation of a kid opening a Christmas present.

True, it was sweet like some of its relatives and undeniably cute like certain others, but frankly, I was a little disappointed because, well, that’s as far as it went. After all, in retrospect, there was no promise of crème in its name. Just brulee.

Which, in French, means burned.
 
 
Next up, honeynut squash.
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️
 
 

👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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You know this one; it often sports a long neck and a bulbous bottom, the result of tinkering with crookneck squash breeding, selecting for a more compact size, a straight neck, and a stackable shape with a nod to the marketplace: butternut squash is another extremely popular and rather ubiquitous item at the supermarket. Because of its smooth skin, it’s easy to peel and since the seeds are concentrated in the lower section, it lends itself to applications where chunks or planks of squash are called for.

Since my quest was for diminutive squashes, I admit that it was a bit of an outlier, but it was the smallest one of its ilk that I could find (and probably why its shape was less than classic).

Were you waiting for this? (I was.)

Like many winter squash, butternut squash is exceedingly versatile and often subs for pumpkin in recipes like this one. Now, I make a mean pumpkin pie IIDSSM and every year my family and certain special friends enjoy sampling my wares; this year, of course, was an exception because of the pandemic. But since I had a butternut squash on hand and no one would be subjected to my experiment, I decided to see what would happen if I followed my time-honored pumpkin pie recipe verbatim, but with butternut squash subbing in for the pumpkin. Happily, the experiment was a success – but between you and me, I like pumpkin better. (Didn’t stop me from eating this though!)

Next up, brulee squash.
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️
 
 

👨‍🍳 Cooking in the Time of COVID 👨‍🍳

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Warts and all, buttercup squash (not to be confused with butternut squash) is one of my favorites for its rich flavor (sometimes compared to sweet potato or chestnut) and solid satiny texture. As it matures, its characteristic turban top that you may have seen elsewhere will grow – this one was a baby. Because it’s on the dry side, you’ll see some caveats against roasting or baking and favoring simmering, steaming or boiling, but I’ve never had a problem applying dry heat to it.

As a matter of fact, because of its rich, firm texture, I decided to cut it into roasted pieces and press it into service as part of a schmancy salad for brunch. For the base, I used the lettuce, tomato, shredded carrot, and caramelized onion quartet that typically finds its way into the salad bowl chez moi, added roasted Brussels sprouts (since I was roasting anyway) and concord grapes (because I had some in the fridge), shaved down some cheese into a fan (because I’m a cheese fan) and topped it with a crispy fried egg (no explanation necessary). An unusual and delicious combination!

Next up, butternut squash.
 
(For those who are just joining us, the saga begins here.)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes. ❤️