Who knew! Butternut squash

[ThinWomansBrain]

I like butternut squash - but often buy it, then don't use it because it's so difficult to cut and prepare. I either just not making the dish, or buying cut and prepared squash from Waitrose.

I used a recipe kit today - risotto with mushrooms, butternut squash and bacon (Tesco, v good) - the life changing news was revealed - you can cook the squash in it's skin and then scoop the flesh out.

Am I the only person if the world not to have known this?

Eat the skin! How did I not know that?

I’ve use it in curries or roasted and both fine, so would suggest good for risotto

This too.

Halve it, scoop out the seeds, place halves on roasting tray (no need to peel) drizzle with olive oil and coarse sea salt and then after 20 mins add maple syrup til it’s finished roasting……absolutely delicious.

I don’t eat the skin but I serve onto plate in the skin - just eat it by scooping out like a giant grapefruit/melon etc. Or if you’re like my DM, like you eat a jacket potato as she steadfastly refuses to eat the skin 😂🤷‍♀️

Roast it whole when I do a roast chicken. They cook for just the same time! Then just scoop it out - great tip from an Australian pal.

That sounds nice, do you have a recipe you could share please or do you just stir it in?

What kind of butternut squash are you buying that has a green skin?

I used to try and peel the whole thing with a blunt peeler. And then when that got too tricky I used to chop it into bits and cut the peel off with a knife..which is what embarrassingly I have still been doing up until reading this post OP!

I’ve heard this, but I’ve never eaten the skin.

Ive heard of people who eat kiwi with the skin on. Now that must exfoliate your bowels!

AnnaMagnani · Today 08:54

What kind of butternut squash are you buying that has a green skin?

When you peel the orange skin off, the outer flesh has green veins.

I always eat the Kiwi skin. I love a good exfoliation.

Respect!
😀

Butternut squash & sage macaroni cheese recipe | Good Food

i add leeks and mushrooms

Thank you @HelenWheels that looks amazing!

I make an ancient weighwatchers butternut risotto.

gave up peeling pretty much straight away, just chop and throw it in.

i like the skin though.

first time i ever had butternut was in Africa. They did it similar to baked potato- bake, then cut in half, remove the seeds, chuck in lots of butter and eat using the skin as a bowl.

Wait what? I knew you could roast and scoop I didn’t know you could eat the skin though

You’re eating unripe butternut squash 😆 No wonder it tastes bitter! The skin should be yellow/orangey, not at all green.

As does our school

we tried it on parents evening

bloody lush !!

I learned this the first time I cooked butternut squash, which was when I was a 20 year old young parent and making batches of baby food. I found it difficult to cook, so googled, and discovered the tip of cooking it in its skin. Why would you suffer and not look for a lazy solution?

Kiwi skins-rub them on fabric and all the hairs come off. Denim jeans work best. Another tip I discovered when weaning DD, who grew up eating quickly defuzzed kiwi skin.

You can also roast the seeds.

We scoop them out, cost in oil and spices (we like spicy spices) , bung them in the air fryer until they start cracking. And sprinkle on soups or eat like popcorn. 😋😋😋😋

Welcome to the future! 😁

You can also do this with pumpkin and sweet potato. I may have done this before when I bought too many and then frozen the mashed flesh for adding into veg soups, shepherds pie topping, etc

the "recipe" was a Dine In kit from Tesco - all the ingredients you need (except the protein) in a box - I guess trying to edge in on the Hello Fresh type market. It was good value - £8 for two boxes, I have a Sri Lankan curry still to make.
DishUp | Unbox fresh flavours. Everytime.
It said it was to serve two, but I ate it over four meals, there was loads - and I am not a 'small' eater.

the risotto was a butternut squash, mushrooms, onion, garlic, kale, bacon (not in the box), hard cheese, cream cheese, tarragon and pumpkin seeds - and ancient grains rather than risotto rice.
Essentially cook the onion and garlic, add the bacon, mushrooms and kale, then the cooked squash, grains and cheeses & water. the tarragon goes in at the end, and the pumpkin seeds made a nice crunch on top.
I added some broccoli because it was left in the fridge, and pomegranate seeds because I always like pomegranate with rice, so assumed I would with this.

The recipe said to cook the squash in the oven for 20 minutes - I didn't have anything else to oven cook, so I googled microwaving it, 5 minutes whole, after piercing the skin a lot so it doesn't explode, then cut it in half and another 5-10 minutes depending on the size.

I was speaking to one of the chefs at work today - he said the flavour would be a lot better from cooking the squash in the oven, because the sugars react differently.
I hinted about him making risotto for the restaurant - he's not keen because it's hard to keep warm, serve at the right point,,,, I didn't like to say I had the final portion in a Tupperware box in the office fridge ready to microwave for lunch.😁

will look at some of the recipes above, it has renewed my love of squash.

Game changer for me! DH didn't know either. We'll eat way more now, thanks OP!

The skin is normal coloured and the flesh is fine, but there are green veins under the hard, outer skin.

Another BNS thing I love, and will make again now I know about cooking in the skin is a warm salad of roasted beetroot and butternut squash chunks, topped with soft goats cheese (or Philadelphia if goats cheese is a bit strong for you) and walnuts.
you mix the beetroot and BNS at the end because otherwise the beetroot stains everything & it looks bleugh.

Bizarrely I first made that years ago at a cookery school - they did NOT impart the secret of roasting it in its skin.😮