Enjoy the Fall Harvest
with Delicious
Squash Recipes
Autumn is harvest time. You can certainly enjoy these tasty squash recipes any time of year, but they seem particularly good as the weather cools down a bit and we go back to using our ovens again to cook delicious comfort foods.
Either of these recipes can be made with a variety of squash. I have just listed the squash I prefer to use. These recipes are so easy, and they bake alongside anything else you may have in your oven. In addition, they are a great part of a healthy diet.
Citrus Baked Squash
1 butternut squash (or any squash you prefer)
A mixture of 1/2 orange juice and 1/2 water
Peel the squash and slice it crosswise, so some of the slices are thick circles, about 1 to 11/2" thick. Arrange the slices in a single layer in a glass baking dish. The size of the dish depends on the amount of squash you are cooking.
Pour the orange juice and water mixture over the squash until it reaches about half way up the slices. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, or until the slices are soft when a knife is inserted in the middle. Watch along the way to make sure the liquid does not dry out completely. If it does, carefully add a bit more.
Serve the slices drizzled with extra orange sauce.
Sweet and Rich Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash (or any squash you prefer)
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 dashes cinnamon
Slice each acorn squash in half and clean out the cavity. Put a teaspoon of butter in each half along with a teaspoon of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Bake, covered, at 350°F for 30 minutes, then uncover for the last 15 to 30 minutes so the sugar sauce thickens.
This squash can be served as is, in halves in the skin. If you prefer, you can scoop out the squash and sauce, mix it together and place it in a decorative serving dish. I don’t salt either of these recipes because I find them tasty enough as is, but feel free to add a bit of salt if you would like.
Delicata squash is also called sweet potato or Bohemian squash, and has a delicate moist, creamy yellow flesh that tastes like a blend of corn, butternut squash, and sweet potato.
Butternut squash is creamy, sweet, moist, nutty and delicious. The deep orange flesh can
be prepared
many different
ways.
Buttercup squash are round with a white cup or knob on the underside. The flesh is dark orange to reddish in color, very sweet and dry.
Carnival squash is named because
it is quite colorful.
It has a pleasant, mild flavor.
Cushaw squash has a light yellow flesh that is
slightly sweet,
thick, medium-coarse, and fibrous. Fine for pies
and baking.
Acorn squash have a slightly dry, orange-colored flesh with a nutlike flavor. Perfect for stuffing and best when baked.
Sunburst squash,
also called pattypan or scallop squash, have a nutty and creamy flavor. Excellent stuffed and baked.
Hubbard squash is bluish, gray,
orange or dark green and very thick skinned. The yellow flesh is very moist. Excellent in pumpkin pie, they are sweeter and firmer than fresh pumpkin.
Turban squash is brightly colored with a crowned
top. It tastes reminiscent of hazelnut when baked.
Spaghetti squash has stringy white flesh that is not too sweet. When cooked, it resembles spaghetti strands and is a great substitute for pasta
Sweet dumplings are small with pale yellow, starchy flesh and a sweet as honey flavor. Perfect for individual portions, roasted, baked or stuffed.
Written by Karen Ciancio
Printed October 2006
For more recipes and cooking tips, visit Karen Ciancio’s website at www.CookingNook.com.
