If you were trying butternut squash for the first time.....

[Blackdog Lin]

.....in what kind of dish would you try it?

First off, we don't like "sweet" foods - our cooking definitely leans toward savory flavors. So I won't be doing a candied sweet potato kind of thing with it. I know 101 ways to cook zucchini, but am unfamiliar with other varieties of squash. I'm a little concerned with my reading about the butternut talks of its "sweetness".

AllRecipes has provided me with a couple of potential choices that with a substitution or two I have everything on hand to make; one a gratin side dish, roasted and topped with a 2-3 cheese/bread crumb topping, and two a bisque with onions and carrots and heavy or sour cream.

And many recipes I looked at called for nutmeg as an enhancement for butternut squash - again, too "sweet" tasting for me. What other herbs would be a good match for it?

Gotta get the thing used up this week, one way or another! Thanks guys.....

[SteveinMN]

I would vote for baked/roasted with a topping. IME there are winter squashes far sweeter (more sweet-potato-like) than butternuts. But hiding the squash in a bisque will not give you a real taste (no pun intended) for the flavor.

The crumb topping is good because it can be savory. My favorite is the Garfunkel topping (bread crumbs, onion, garlic, egg [as a binder], and parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;)). I also like to make it a complete meal by combining Italian sausage ("sweet" or hot, whichever you like) with some bread crumbs, onion, parsley, and egg.

I hope you like it!

[JaneV2.0]

.... ...

...

And many recipes I looked at called for nutmeg as an enhancement for butternut squash - again, too "sweet" tasting for me. What other herbs would be a good match for it?

Gotta get the thing used up this week, one way or another! Thanks guys.....

Oh save me from nutmeg in savory dishes! It's fine on custard or eggnog. I've given up on any but homemade chicken gravy because of the dreaded nutmeg. Ptui!

[razz]

Thyme would be a good addition to baked squash with some butter, salt and pepper but then I really like thyme.

[Selah]

I just bake butternut squash after I've halved it and scooped out the seeds. If I don't want it to be sweet, I just baste it with olive oil, pepper and sea salt. Yum!

[Tammy]

My mom uses it for pumpkin pie ... In place of the pumpkin. I love it.

[Rosemary]

I love winter squash combined with black beans and cooked greens such as kale or collards or spinach. One of the best combinations ever, I think. Good in burritos or enchiladas this way, or just combined on a plate.

Winter squash is also good roasted, then stuffed and reheated to heat the stuffing through. Something like a wild rice - hazelnut - cranberry stuffing is nice and seasonally appropriate.

Butternut squash soup... yum. Especially good with fresh ginger.

Black bean and butternut squash chili - another favorite.

I also eat it just roasted, with a little cinnamon on it, for breakfast.

DD likes it baked into "chips." Bake thin slices a long time at a low temp.

As for its inherent "sweetness" -- don't be worried - it is sweet compared to other vegetables, but not as sweet as sweet potatoes if you compare the two after oven roasting, with no added ingredients.

[Tussiemussies]

I love winter squash combined with black beans and cooked greens such as kale or collards or spinach. One of the best combinations ever, I think. Good in burritos or enchiladas this way, or just combined on a plate.

Winter squash is also good roasted, then stuffed and reheated to heat the stuffing through. Something like a wild rice - hazelnut - cranberry stuffing is nice and seasonally appropriate.

Butternut squash soup... yum. Especially good with fresh ginger.

Black bean and butternut squash chili - another favorite.

I also eat it just roasted, with a little cinnamon on it, for breakfast.

DD likes it baked into "chips." Bake thin slices a long time at a low temp.

As for its inherent "sweetness" -- don't be worried - it is sweet compared to other vegetables, but not as sweet as sweet potatoes if you compare the two after oven roasting, with no added ingredients.

Hi Rosemary, the way you make your winter squash dinners sound so good. Do you bake the squash first and then stir fry the green vegetables? Would like to try this. What type of squash do you use?
Thanks...

[catherine]

I go with Rosemary on the soup--I make a curried one, which definitely takes the edge off any potential sweet taste.

[Rosemary]

Whenever I prepare winter squash of any variety, regardless of what a recipe might say, I begin the same way: I wash the squash and put it into the oven whole at about 400, for about an hour. Then it will be roasted mostly through, unless it is quite large, and I can peel it and cut it without endangering my fingers.

Usually I will roast several squash at the same time if they're small, and store it in the fridge and freezer after roasting - unless I'm making soup, which uses a large quantity.

So, yes, I do roast the squash first and then cook the greens separately, then combine them in the final dish. I actually do a lot of cooking this way, preparing various vegetables ahead of time and keeping them in containers in the fridge to use as I go through the week. Tonight, for instance, I'll be roasting a container of mushrooms, a zucchini, and a couple of eggplants, separately. Some of these I will season for dinner, and the rest I will store. All of these are really good on salads once roasted, which is one of my primary foods. And most eggplant recipes begin with roasting anyway, so having it done already is a time-saver.

[Blackdog Lin]

I thank y'all for the ideas. Tomorrow: roasted butternut squash gratin.

[razz]

I was making up my monthly list of dishes and thought about making a shepherd's pie using squash (which I have lot of at present) on top instead of mashed potatoes.

[RosieTR]

How was it? I was thinking with parmesan (or similar cheese) and possibly sage and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast the squash, sage and mushrooms, then sprinkle with the cheese at the end. I am going to try a butternut curry soup later this week which better work well b/c DH won't eat any of the winter squash family so I can't foist any on him if it's a failed experiment ;)

[Gingerella72]

I, too, hate "sweet" dishes and love the savory.

Sage and garlic marry well with the taste of winter squash, I find. And lots of butter. And sausage.

[pony mom]

I like them mashed, like a mashed potato. And lots of butter.