Winter Squash can be cooked a variety of ways, using seasonings to your tasting! Here are just a few ways to cook up the multitude of Winter Squash you will find at the Farmers’ Market, now and in the coming months!
Butternut
- Fill pan with ½-1 inch of water. Place steamer basket in bottom of pot. Begin to heat on medium with a lid.
- Peel outer skin. With a large kitchen knife, cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and save for roasting, if you like!
- With a large kitchen knife, cut squash into approximately 1 inch chunks.
- Put squash in steamer basket and cover pot with a lid. Steam 5-10 minutes until fork tender.
- Lightly drizzle with salt and olive oil.
- Pierce with toothpicks for serving.
Delicata
- No peeling necessary, you can eat the skin! Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Save seeds for roasting, if you like!
- Cut into 1/4 inch half moons. Cut these again to make bite-sized pieces.
- Sautee in light olive oil, stirring occasionally.
- Ready when tender (5-10 mins). Season lightly with salt.
- Pierce with toothpicks for serving.
Red Kuri
- No peeling necessary, you can eat the skin! Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Save for roasting, if you like!
- Cut into 1 inch slices. Cut these slices into 1 inch chunks, or smaller.
- Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and add squash. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add 1/4 inch of water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 10 minutes, until squash is tender.
- Season lightly with salt.
- Pierce with toothpicks for serving.
Sweet Dumpling
- No peeling necessary, you can eat the skin!
- Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Cut for roasting if you like!
- Cut into thin slices and cut slices again into smaller bite sized pieces.
- Coat a pan with olive oil and heat on medium. Add squash. Sautee, and stir occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
- Season lightly with salt, and pierce with toothpicks for serving.
Spaghetti Squash
The best at-home method is in an oven.The skin is a bit tougher, but it’s not ideal to peel it before cooking. You can remove the skin once you have baked or steamed it, when it is easier to separate.
- Add 1 inch or so of water to the bottom of a pot. Put in a steamer basket. Begin to heat on medium with a lid.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out seeds. Save for roasting, if you like!
- Cut halves again so you have 4 quarters. Cut quarters into approx. 1-2 inch slices.
- Add the slices to the steamer and steam for 10-20 minutes, until spaghetti texture is achieved.
- Scoop squash out from rinds and into a bowl. Rinds are for the compost.
- Season lightly with olive oil and salt.
- Serve in portion cups.