Winter Squash

Roasted Winter Squash

From Randal Smathers

Butternut is great –but this recipe works with any other winter squash!Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and compost seeds. Put a teaspoon or two of butter into the cavity. For extra sweetness, add a teaspoon of maple syrup or local honey. Season with a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Bake at 375 until the squash is tender, about 45 minutes.

Riso E Zucca 

From Carol Field's Celebrating Italy

serves 4

“I'd forgotten one of my favorite dishes, which is a squash (or pumpkin) risotto. This doesn't have to be stirred a lot, either. I almost always make this on Halloween,” Sharon Nimtz

• 1 pound winter squash
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Grating of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds (duh!) and cut into 1 inch slices. Cook them in boiling salted water until a knife pierces the flesh but the squash is still firm. Drain and cool; peel and cut into small dice.

Put the squash into a pan with the rice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low, cover, and cook until the rice has absorbed the broth, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Stir in the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.

Vermont Maple Squash Sauté

from Sharon Parquette Nimtz’ Cook/Speak

“This is the way I almost always do squash -- acorn, butternut... the whole spectrum.” Sharon Nimtz

The skin of most squashes will become tender if cooked, and then can be eaten or not. Once the squash has browned on the first side and is flipped, some pre-cooked, seasoned ground pork may be sprinkled over it. Even people who don't think they like squash like this.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 squash -- butternut, acorn, delicata...
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup(+/-) Vermont maple syrup

Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté or fry pan over medium heat, and when it is hot add the olive  oil and butter. Smash the garlic with the side of a cleaver or heavy knife, peel and chop. Halve the onion through the root end, peel half and slice into thin shards, then chop them up coarsely, and add, with the garlic, to the melted butter and oil, stirring occasionally until they are wilted but not browned.

Halve the squash, seed it, and cut in 1-inch slices, then arrange them so that all pieces touch the bottom of the pan, skin and all, cover and cook over low heat maybe 15 minutes, until browned and becoming tender. Turn the pieces, cover and cook until tender. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, and a glug, no, a sprinkling, of maple syrup – not too much. Simmer a few minutes longer and enjoy.

MAPLE-ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

• 1 large butternut squash 

• 1 head garlic, separated but not peeled 

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil 

• 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup 

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

• 2 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped 
(optional)
• 16 whole fresh sage leaves
• French bread, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and remove seeds from the butternut squash and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place the squash and the whole unpeeled garlic cloves on a sheet pan in one layer. Toss with the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the squash begins to brown, turning once during baking.

Sprinkle the pancetta (optional) and the sage leaves evenly over the butternut squash and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the squash and garlic are tender and caramelized. Season to taste and serve hot with French bread for guests to spread with the roasted garlic.

RADICAL ROOTS SQUASH SOUP
It's that time of year, when so many of us are making Squash Soup for Thanksgiving and for those growing-colder nights. We love squash soup and make it all sorts of different ways - depending on our mood and what ingredients we have in the house.

So how do we make Squash Soup? Here are some of the variations we make, but please send us your recipes and we will gladly share them with the Radical Roots Farm community.

First cook your squash.

We generally bake it in the oven - cut in half or in quarters or even crescents. If you place it cut side up, drizzle a little olive oil or butter on top. If you prefer it cut side down, add a little water to the pan. Once cooked, use a spoon to peel.

Sometimes we boil the squash (peeled and cubed) in salt water.

Once in a while, we peel and cube the squash, toss with olive oil and salt and then roast, alone or with some garlic and onions.

However you cook the squash, make sure it is tender and you can pierce it easily with a fork.

Sautee your aromatics.

We love to sautee onions or leeks and garlic, in olive oil and/or butter. Sometimes we add some ginger at this point.

However, if we are in a rush, we sometimes skip this step completely, and the soup is still yummy!

Turn it all into soup.

Put the cooked squash and aromatics in a large heavy soup pot. (Hint - if you are sauteeing onions, etc - do so in this pot to save you cleaning time!)

Add water or stock and let the squash continue to cook down in the liquid. We generally start with water and then switch to stock (chicken or veggie or beef) and keep adding it until the squash begins to become "one" with the liquid. From time to time, we mash the squash into finer and finer pieces. Keep this simmering (don't let it boil) until you have a beautiful orange soup-like mixture. At this point, we use a hand-blender to puree it. If you do not have a hand-blender, you can use your blender or food processor - but be careful. The soup will be hot and you do not want to burn yourself.

Season with salt, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, or whatever spices you like best.

We prefer it simple, and often use only salt and pepper. But experiment and get the flavor you like best.

Do you want it creamy?

We usually call it soup at this point, although sometimes we add milk or cream for a special treat. Or - our favorite - is to add a dollop or two of yogurt or sour cream when serving. This makes it easy to have a creamy soup, without the fuss of making sure you do not overcook the cream or milk. As an added bonus, it also makes freezing the soup possible. So you can make a double or triple batch, and freeze the leftovers for another meal.

What else can you add?

Squash soup is so versatile, there are many things you can add during cooking or during serving to make it extra special.

Cheese - we love to serve the soup with added chunks of feta cheese. Or maybe add some Chevre or other goat cheese when serving.

Nuts - you can add bits of almonds or cashews, either during cooking or serving. If you want to add it during cooking, it's great to sautee the nuts with the aromatics, or toast them with a little salt and add before pureeing. Or just add small bits of nuts (again toasted are great) when serving.

Ginger - a special treat is to add small pieces or shavings of fresh ginger. Either cook the ginger with the onions (careful not to over-cook) or sprinkle small shavings when serving. We always ask any guests if they want added ginger, as some people love it, but some people find it too spicy for their tastes.

Croutons - why not? Or even a big hunk of bread (stale or toasted) right in the middle of the bowl

Scallions - Yes! Or even minced onions or leeks or other herbs or veggies.

What else? Tell us what you love to add to your soup!


Butternut squash can also be used in wonderful SWEET dishes. Check out this amazing recipe!

Acorn Squash Recipes
Martha Stewart has a number of wonderful recipes using Acorn Squash. Some of our favorites are the Squash Soup with Kale (of course you know we LOVE kale!!), the Squash Stuffed with Rice, and Roasted Squash with Rosemary and Shallots.  And here is THE LINK to her collection of acorn squash recipes.

SQUASH AND SHRIMP SOUP

Thanks to Shannon Hill Pytlik for this great recipe!

• 1 butternut squash
• 1-16oz can chicken broth
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp cilantro
• ½ tsp hot pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Zest of ½ orange

Bake squash at 400 cut side down is shallow water bath for 1 hour. Puree squash in blender or processor with broth until creamy (careful may explode if hot better to let cool off). Add coriander, S&P, orange zest and top with cooked shrimp (below). Garnish with cilantro.

Shrimp: 2 cups shrimp marinated in ¼ cup of oil and ½ cup orange juice. Stir fry until cooked through.

This may sound like an odd mix - squash and shrimp - but it works!

ENJOY!