Okay I have had two pattipan squah delivered in my veg box........

[SemperEadem]

Can I put them in a soup? Like a carrot and squash one?

Or are they better roasted? Have never eaten one of these before and don't have a bloody clue what to do with them .

[HollyGoHeavily]

I had one of these last week and stared at it somewhat agog for a while....

In the end I roasted it with oil and rosemary and made a squash risotto to go on the side of some salmon fillets - was pretty good, if I do say so myself

[SemperEadem]

Ta Holly, I would do that but my DH is working away most of this week and so there is only me to eat them!!!!

I struggle to get DS to eat 'normal' fruit & veg so I have no chance with this (extremely fussy eater!)

I was thinking if I made a big pot of soup with it then I could freeze some for when DH is home.......

Have just logged onto Abel & Cole and changed my preferences so as not to get them again!!

[steamedtreaclesponge]

Most squashes are amazing roasted - just chop into chunks, dab with butter and stick in the oven for an hour or so.

Soup is a good idea though, I'm always making it and freezing in batches. That way you have it as a back-up option when you can't be bothered to cook one evening! My favourite two recipes are sweetcorn and squash chowder, and spicy squash and coconut soup. HTH

[grievousangel]

I was a bit agog at these but ended up making this www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/panstewedsummersquas_68109.shtml last night which was pretty nice. I used some thyme and put some runner beans in with it too.

[SemperEadem]

That pan stewed summer squash sounds nice as does both of the soups!

Can I be cheeky and ask you to post your recipe steamedtreacle sponge?

The squashes I have are quite large.

[choosyfloosy]

i use it in a pasta sauce recipe that I think was once jamie oliver. I got it off here somewhere and have altered it for my own convenience. Very unthreatening sauce for veggie refusers.

Makes anything from 3 to 6 meals' worth of pasta sauce depending on size of squash/greediness of your family. Great for freezer.

One large squash (or two small, obv), 1 onion, 3 carrots, 2 courgettes, 1 red pepper, 6 cans tomatoes. Really good double slosh of veg oil.

Peel and cut up onion, squash and carrots (discarding squash seeds); chop courgettes and red pepper. Heat veg oil in LARGE pan and cook all veggies gently for 10 mins or so, stirring occasionally. Add cans of tomatoes. Stir, bring to boil and leave to simmer for 30 mins or until veggies are tender. Use hand blender or food processor to blend. Use immediately or freeze.

[OrmIrian]

Make a large slit in the top, fill it with butter and black pepper, wrap it in foil and bake it. Did this is camp fires in South Africa.

[steamedtreaclesponge]

Of course!

Squash and Sweetcorn Chowder

This is as close as I can get for the other soup - just ignore the added sweet potato listed in the recipe, replace the equivalent amount of stock with a tin of coconut milk, and add a couple of spoonfuls of red thai curry paste. Yummers!

[pointydog]

never heard of em.

Pat them and put them in a pan. Har

[steamedtreaclesponge]

PS You can take the chilli out of either recipe, they are just as nice without and rather more child-friendly!

[DaisymooSteiner]

We've roasted squash and then frozen it to use later. You need to drain some of the liquid off when you defrost it, but otherwise it's fine. I've still got a fair bit of pumpkin in the freezer from last year - must try and use it up before we get the next lot in a few weeks!

[OhBling]

Patty pans are more like courgettes than butternut so I would imagine they're best roasted, grilled or boiled rather than in a soup?

they also work well to bulk out a soup.

I love them - but am happy to eat them just steamed/boiled with butter and salt. They're one of my favourite veggie. I'm planning to grill them tonight though.

[SemperEadem]

Thanks all for your tips! Will let you know how I get on .