Squish squash
Posted on September 22nd, 2008 – 8:19 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
To those who love squash, this time of year is heaven. Summer squash are still producing but winter squash are coming on strong. Is that right? Honestly, I don’t really know.
I’m squash illiterate. One taste of mush-o-la when I was a kid, and I’ve never eaten another squash of any kind. No zucchini in my muffins, no roasted acorns with brown sugar, no nothing. Butternuts? Buttercups? Beats me. If there were a gardening game show, I would never win the grand prize because I can’t tell hubbards from cupboards.
Obviously, I’m missing something, but I’m just not sure what. Or, am I? Squash fans, please tell me where to start in my brave adult exploration of squash. What do you like, how do you prepare it, what do you grow or buy? Or, if you’re a fellow squash unfan, maybe we can compare notes on that pesky texture problem.
14 Responses to "Squish squash"
I personally fit into the un-fan section when it comes to squash. I cannot get past the textureless texture. When we were kids we grew an overabundance and gave a few to my grandmother, a widely recognized bad cook. She peeled it, chopped it into squares like potatoes and boiled it in water. Runny and orange…quite unappealing. I can dress it up to get something that blends well to give it texture.
I like squash soup. It has the creaminess and that little nutneg taste.
I like spagetti squash. It does have texture like the pasta. Of course anything covered with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese cannot be picked out as supremely yucky.
And I do like acorn squash. This is a classic preparation where the squash is cut in half, de-seeded, baked until tender, mash with cream, nutmeg, and butter. Or if you have smallish acorns, bake cup side up with honey and butter in the cup.
I have not found any summer squash that I can tolerate unless there is complete camoflage like chocolate zucchini bread.
I made a yummy squash dip this weekend:
1 butternut squash
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
1 garlic bulb
roast the garlic and butternut squash (for the squash: cut in half, scoop out seeds, bake in 450 oven for 1 hour)
Combine squash and lemon juice in a food processor, then fold in coarsely chopped roasted garlic and feta crumbles. Serve with toasted pita bread. Yummy!
That dip sounds good!
I am a fan for sure, and my favorite is Delicata, it is tender juicy (not dry!) and very flavorful. I love it baked and them slathered with butter salt and parmesean cheese. Mmmm!
Also, Sweet Dumpling is good.
Ok, I’m going to try that dip recipe!
I love squash in any form, cooked in any manner. As far as I’m concerned, there is no bad squash dish - luckily though, I did not have debw’s grandmother 
I think that a great starter for a squash hater is spaghetti squash - as debw stated, you can cover it in parmesan and marinara and it’s delicious. But also, it doesn’t have that ‘mushy’ texture that so many squash haters dislike. There is a recipe for “Spaghetti Squash I” at allrecipes.com (I know better than to try to link here, it doesn’t seem to work for me). This is a delicious vegetarian dish using spaghetti squash - the texture is definitely NOT mushy.
My boyfriend proclaimed his hatred of all things squash when we first started dating. Naturally, I ignored him. When it came time to grill, I went on about my business and marinated chunks of zuchhini, yellow squash, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers, then skewered them with pineapple before grilling. Well, I now have a summer squash fan in my house =) I’m still working on winter squashes, he’s eaten a few of them, but he will shy away from the mashed varieties. I still love him, he can’t help it that he’s broken.
Good luck on your squash quest, have fun with it and try different varieties!!
My fav squash recipe comes out of an older Jamie Oliver cookbook. Basically you slice a butternut squash into skinny wedges; cover it in a cumin, corriander, garlic rub and broil. I then scrape the flesh from the skins and toss with wild rice, dried cranberries and leeks. Honestly, it is a ton of work and I only make it once a year.
(His web site has some pretty interesting recipes: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/search/squash)
I live with a squash hater, so for those five times a year that I crave squash, I get my fill at The Wedge’s deli counter.
Wow! I would eat this, too:
Roasted chicken breast with creamy butternut squash and chilli
I’m with the ladies above–try for a Spaghetti squash first. Pierce it (like you would a baked potato) and bake it in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Cut it in half and use your fork to pull out the ’spaghetti noodles’. Marinara, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese…mmm…you’ll be singing a different SQUISHY SQUASHY tune!!
Wow…a good selection of ideas for squash and enough unfans to know I’m not alone. Thanks for the ideas! About the spaghetti squash, though, and I’m not trying be difficult here, but wouldn’t it be a lot easier for me to just cook spaghetti instead of spaghetti squash?
It is more nutritious to eat the squash.
Besides everyone needs fiber ( the alternative is not good). Even the whole wheat pasta spikes the blood sugar in ways that the squash doesn’t.
To quote my other grandma “eat it, you’ll feel better knowing it is good for you”.
Robyn, have you had the squash dip at the Chatterbox Cafe in south Mpls? It tastes a lot like how Danika’s recipe sounds. Very garlicky and yummy.
This sounds totally ghetto, but my favorite thing to do with squash is to just bake it, put on a generous slab of butter, and then get one of those ultra-cheapo “garlic pepper salt” shakers from the dollar store and sprinkle it on there.
So, when you bake squash, is there a foolproof way to know when it is done?
You test for doneness the same way as you test baked potatoes. Poke with a fork/knife, it should yield but not deflate like a flat tire.
I’d give it to the neighbors and find something else to eat!
Have you tried squash pudding? It’s the way I got orange vegetables into my kids when they were younger. I use an immersion blender to make it smooth. Mix a couple of cups of cooked, cooled squash (butternut is great), 2 eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and pumpkin-pie like spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger). When that is all combined, slowly add a can of evaporated milk; get it as smooth as possible. Pour into a baking dish and bake in a 350 oven 50-60 minutes. Let cool, and serve with a little whipped cream.
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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