How to Cook Butternut Squash
There are many varieties of squash, however let's remember that squash is a variety of fruit or vegetable from the genus cucurbita family. It is grown on a vine and some are only good to eat during certain times of the year, while others will grow year round. The Butternut Squash can be found at your local grocer or at a vegetable market. They are usually yellow or beige in color and have the shape of a pear. The darker the color, the sweeter the squash will be. The meat is sweet and firm.
You can harvest most hard-skinned squash (winter variety) as long as you keep them in a cool place. The Butternut Squash has a peak season from fall through the winter months. Not all squash can be kept for long periods of time in a cool dark space, however if they have a hard skin, then you can. From Zucchini to Acorn Squash to Butternut Squash, these are some of the different varieties. A Butternut Squash can be beige as shown in the picture I have included and some are a deep yellow or orange. They both have a bibulous appearance with a semi-thick skin. They can both be cooked the same way and most people will usually bake them or use them as a second with meat and poultry. The yellow flesh is moist and will need more time when roasting or sauteing. I have many recipes for cooking squash, but for the purpose of this article, I will give you just one. What we call down in the South the Squash Squares:
Ingredients Needed for Squash Squares
- 2 eggs.
- 3 cups Butternut squash.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 medium onion (chopped fine but not desecrated. The onion needs to have some consistency otherwise all the juices and flavoring is on your cutting board)
- 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic (I use more since ZI like using garlic.)
- 1/3 cup of crumbled stone ground crackers. (You can use other crackers if you don't have that brand).
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- 3 cups cheddar cheese (coarse is better.)
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan (If you can get the fresh one and grate it yourself much much better).
Cooking
Cook the onions in olive oil in a large pan until tender. Add garlic and squash and cook, stirring for about 4 minutes or until the squash is tender. Then, set the pan aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, triscuit crumbs, oregano, salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese. Mix this together well and then stir-in the squash mixture. Place the mixture into a greased casserole dish ('X13' should be plenty of room).However, you can use a smaller dish if you want the squares to be thicker. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.
Bake at 325 degrees for thirty minutes or until the center part of the squash squares feel set. Let this cool for about ten to fifteen minutes before cutting the squares. This can be served either cold as a bite size snac, or as a side dish with Poultry or meat.
