Time to explore winter squash

If you’re looking for something different to serve as a side dish, winter is the best time to add winter squash to your menu. Unlike its summer cousins zucchini and yellow squash, winter squash is allowed to mature on the vine and harvested after it has developed a thick rind and dense flesh. It’s then cured to seal the rind and ensure a long shelf life or cellar storage.

One of my favorites of the winter squash family - which includes pumpkin, butternut and hubbard squash - is the acorn squash. As you may guess, it’s shaped like an acorn, with dark green skin that sometimes shows splotches of deep orange or yellow. Although botanically it’s considered a fruit, because we eat the flesh surrounding the seeds, we treat it as a vegetable from a culinary standpoint.

The acorn squash found today originated from wild vines grown in Guatemala and Mexico over 8,000 years ago. At first, the squash were not prized for their bitter flesh, but for their plentiful seeds. Over time, squash cultivation spread to North America where varieties with sweeter flesh evolved.

When Columbus and other European settlers reached North America, they found a number of foods they hadn’t seen before. Squash was called “askutasquash” by the native peoples encountered by settlers in Massachusetts. Roughly translated as “eaten raw,” this was most likely a reference to the seeds. Later explorers recalled the many “melons” they found growing wild.

Early settlers in both Massachusetts and Virginia had negative first reactions to squash as a food. This changed when they realized the excellent storage qualities and nutritional value of squash.

Colonial-era gardens typically included squash vines, often grown as one of the “three sisters” introduced by the native peoples: corn stalks as a trellis for beans and squash vines to suppress weeds.

The first cookbooks published in America included a number of ways to prepare squash, primarily in the form of sweet puddings baked in a crust or added to stews in chunks like potatoes. In modern recipe collections, acorn squash is treated either with sugar or salt: baked under a sweet glaze for dessert or combined with savory seasonings in soups and casseroles.

When selecting acorn squash, choose those that are firm and heavy. A dull finish on the rind is a good sign; it means the squash has been properly cured. Make sure there are no blemishes or wounds which could be signs of decay within. If you are roasting the acorn squash as a side dish, assume you will need one-half squash for each person.

If your recipe calls for pureed squash, you can either bake the cut and trimmed halves or steam them in the microwave until tender. Cutting through the thick rind of an acorn squash may take some strength; once the knife is stuck in the rind, I usually use a rubber mallet to push it the rest of the way through.

Be sure to keep the seeds for roasting; they’re a healthy add-in to granola or to eat out of hand. I’ve included instructions on how to toast the seeds as well as recipes for the stuffed squash in the photo and a slow-cooker soup. For all of these you can substitute any other squash varieties, but we like the diminutive acorn - the perfect size when it’s just the two of us.

Toasted Squash Seeds

Preheat oven to 275 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Remove the seeds from the squash into a colander. Rinse thoroughly and remove any bits of stringy flesh. Transfer to a paper plate and blot with paper towel to dry. Arrange seeds on prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until seeds start to pop, about 15 minutes.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash
1 shallot
1 green onion
4 oz cremini mushrooms
1 pressed garlic clove
1 T butter
1/4 C vegetable broth
salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash on the prepared baking sheet cut side down. Bake until softened, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mince shallot, slice green onion (keeping white and green sections separated) and dice mushrooms. Melt butter in a skillet over low. Add shallot, white parts of the green onion, mushrooms and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to medium high and deglaze pan with vegetable broth. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When squash is tender, place cut side up on serving plate; fill with mushroom mixture and garnish with green tops of green onion. Yield: 2 servings.

Slow-Cooker Squash Soup

2 acorn squash
2 peeled, chopped apples
1 chopped carrot
1/2 C chopped Vidalia onion
1/2 t white pepper
4 C vegetable broth
salt, to taste
parsley for garnish

Cut squash in half; remove seeds and strings. Place on a microwave-safe plate, cut side down. Cook on high for 3 minutes. Remove skin from squash and cut flesh into 1-inch cubes. Place squash cubes in slow cooker along with apples, carrots and onion. Pour in vegetable broth and sprinkle with white pepper. Cover tightly and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. When ready to serve, puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and serve garnished with parsley. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.