Butternut Squash

Come autumn, you are likely to see colourful displays of winter squash in the supermarkets. Butternut squash is one of the most common varieties, not only because of its superb, creamy flavour but because it is easier to cut and prepare.

This club-shaped vegetable has a yellowish skin with bright orange flesh. Like other winter squash it’s high in complex carbohydrate and contains about 45 calories per 100gm. It’s also a rich source of beta carotene (pro vitamin A), along with vitamins C, B3 and B6, folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

There are various ways you can prepare butternut squash. You can bake or roast it unpeeled by cutting it in half lengthways, scooping out the seeds and baking it flesh-side down on a moderate to high setting for about 50 minutes. Or you can peel it, cut it in to cubes and then either boil, steam or stir-fry until tender.

To peel a butternut squash, cut off the ends, quarter the squash and remove the seeds and fibrous innards. Then using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel and dice the flesh to the desired sized pieces. Butternut squash will keep for at least a month when stored in a cool, dark place. But don’t keep it in a refrigerator as the cold temperature will actually cause the squash to go bad more quickly. Here are a few ways to enjoy this vegetable.

Stuff it – bake face-down in a little olive oil until tender. Then stuff with a mixture of cooked brown rice, sautéed onions and chopped nuts, top with grated cheese and bake until the cheese has melted.
.Squash Soup – peel and cut into cubes, then cook in a large pan of boiling water along with the chopped onions, a little olive oil, some vegetable stock and a pinch of paprika and cumin. When the squash is soft, whiz the soup through a blender, reheat and serve.
Curries and casseroles – use it diced to add texture to stews, curries and casseroles.
Mix and match – add it steamed and diced to stir fries, salads and risottos.
Butternut mash – steam then mash with a little butter and salt and pepper, and serve as an alternative to mashed potatoes.
Ravioli – use steamed squash instead of meat in home-made ravioli.
Perfect pie – mix together one cooked and puréed squash with 2 eggs, a medium sized tub of crème fraiche, 50ml milk, two tabs brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Pour into a pie crust and bake at a moderate temperature for about 45 minutes. Serve cool with yogurt or ice cream.
All things sweet – use cooked, puréed squash to sweeten cakes and muffins. Butternut squash is naturally sweet, so you can reduce the amount of sugar you use.