it is upon us. the nights are getting crisper and the days are disappearing earlier. there are apples dropping from trees and the leaves are changing. i was at the farmers market in san francisco and got the first sightings of fall/winter squashes that are soon to be upon us in plenty. i love these varieties to cook with. they are fantastic from soups to stews to side dishes. the most common you will come across are butternut acorn hubbard and pumpkin. besides their great flavor and versatility the nutritional properties in these tasty squash makes them a favorite of mine. they are packed with vitamin a and have a healthy amount of vitamin c potassium dietary fiber and manganese. they are also packed with beta-carotene which is an anti-oxidant that works as an anti-inflammatory. there are a few tricks that i think will make your life in the kitchen with these squash much easier and tastier. one of the top keys to being able to cut into a large hard squash without cutting off a finger or two is to put them in a heated oven whole for about 5 minutes. this process will soften the squash enough that you will be able to cut through them with ease. once you have got to this step done you can cut and peel them easier. make 1 inch thick slices the length of the squash then cut into cubes. these pieces will roast in approximately half the time than it would take to roast a whole squash. by simply tossing the squash with a bit of extra virgin olive oil kosher or sea salt and a tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme you can have the base for a pureed soup or an ingredient to toss with pasta. you can also interchange and mix together acorn butternut and hubbard squashes. pumpkin is the least flavorful of all of these varieties and there for will need extra herbs and salt to bring out the flavor. spices that go well with these squash (not all mixed together just to try out at different times): cumin curry powder garlic thyme sage fresh cracked black pepper italian parsley. next time you are at the store or farmers market pick up one of these orange-fleshed fall foods and have fun changing up your week night dinner.
what the easiest way to cook squash?