Delicata Squash Tips and Recipes
By Brenda Hyde
Delicata squash is a nice mild tasting and delicious squash. The following
recipes will give you an idea of how to use it. You can substitute other winter
squash in these recipes if you wish. Delicata will store at room temperature
for about 4 weeks.
Squash with Herbs
Ingredients:
2 medium winter squash (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 1/2 cups apple cider or juice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons wine or herb vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, then cut it
lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds. Cut each piece in half
again lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Other
squash should be peeled, seeded, cut into 1x 1/2 inch pieces. Melt
the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the sage and rosemary
and cook until the butter just begins to turn color-3to5minutes.Add
the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt.
Cook stirring occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the
cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender, 20 to 30
minutes. Taste and season with pepper and additional salt if needed.
Spicy Squash Soup
Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 lb. Delicata or other winter squash
2-3 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 liter milk
2 cup sweet onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 tbsp. minced garlic
4 tsp. olive oil
10 oz. frozen corn kernels
10 oz. frozen green beans
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Trim edges of squash, cut into four pieces, remove seeds. Steam 12-15
minutes until soft. Scrape the squash from the skin into a blender, add
ginger and 2 1/2 cups milk; purée. Sauté onion, celery and garlic in 3
tsp. olive oil until onions are soft. Reduce heat to low, stir in Cajun
spice mix. Stir for 30 seconds, add squash purée and remaining milk.
Bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Add corn and green beans and
continue to simmer. Stir in basil. Season with salt to taste.
Baked Delicata Squash
Ingredients:
1 delicata squash
1-2 Tbsp. butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut off the ends of squash, cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds.
Leaving the skins on, cut the squash into 1/2-inch wide lengths. Place
these on a baking sheet, dot with butter, and sprinkle generously with
salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degree F. oven until soft. This is the basic
recipe. You can add herbs, spices or honey to it if you wish.
Delicata Squash Puree
Ingredients:
One 2-lb. Delicata squash
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh chives
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Split the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Peel the outer skin
and cut the squash into 3-inch pieces. Place squash and potatoes in
a large saucepan and fill with water and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil
and cook until both the squash and potatoes are fork-tender (30-40
minutes). Drain liquid (reserving about 1 cup) and add in cream and
butter. Using a potato masher , mix well. Add chives and season to
taste with salt and pepper. Add cooking liquid if you want it a bit
thinner consistency.
The herbs and spices used, plus cooking spray, black pepper and baking supplies
are all available from Watkins. Click Here
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a mom to three, married and living in the Midwest
United States. She is also a freelance writer, editor and owner of Old Fashioned Living.com.
