Butternut squash help if you would be so kind.

[IslaValargeone]

I normally purchase ready prepped butternut squash lazy cow
Today I have a proper one, firstly how do I know if it is ripe, and secondly how do I prepare it?

hi there,
ripeness isn't an issue. it will be ready to eat if it's in the shops. cut the top pff and the bottom, slice through the middle and remove seeds, then peel the outside and chop into desired size pieces. :-)

I've never had an unripe one so don't think you need to worry too much about that. They are very hard so to prep it you need a sharp broad-bladed knife and a peeler. I top and tail them and cut off the narrow end first. Peel and chunk. Then halve the round end, scoop out the seeds, peel and chunk. Alternative way is to halve them lengthways, scoop out the seeds, bake cut side down in the oven and then scoop out the cooked flesh last.

Thankyou!

I cut them in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, season with salt and pepper, put a small knob of butter in the hollowed bit, wrap in tinfoil and then bake at 200C for about 40 mins until completely soft.

You can either serve them as a whole half per person in the skin, or scoop the flesh out and serve like mashed potato.

IME its easier to peel before you cut but you will need a very sharp peeler as it is like Rhino hide

Or you can just eat them skin & all.... It tastes fine, honest, & is much less faff.

When cooked, I hastily add... Prepare as per instructions above re chopping & deseeding, but don't bother peeling! Cook as normal, eat up! Yum.

I roast in chunks with skin on (lazy!) and just scrape it off while eating. Also use leftovers to make soup.

There's a pastry recipe which includes squash which my DD's Crafty Cooks teacher suggested here Haven't tried it but it sounds interesting!

When you're buying the butternut choose one that has a small round bit and a large/long straight bit - does that makes sense? The seeds are in the round part so you want that to be small, the fleshy bit is in the straight part so you want lots of that :)

i just roeast the whole thing on a low heat for about an hour. than it cuts in half really easily, scoop the seeds out with a spoon then scoop the flesh out. but this is for baby food so might not work if you want chunks.

I shall have to give the roasting whole thing a bit of a go then by the sounds of things.
I only tend to use it ready chunked with some sweet potato in a Moroccan chicken dish that I do.

p.s this works better the bigger the butternut sqaush is.

I leave the skin on too. Top and tail the squash, deseed, put in a shallow tin in the oven with olive oil and herbs. Cook for 40 mins, Yum!

I peel before cutting too, using a very sharp peeler, take off at least 2 layers or it will be tough, once you see orange flesh you're through. Once peeled all over I take off both ends, slice in half and scoop our seeds. I chop into once inch cube and go from there :)

I chop it up, put it on a baking tray with quartered red onions, sprinkle with olive oil and chinese 5 spice (quite a bit) and bake. Once roasted and soft, add to a pint of good chicken or veg stock and blend. Delicious.

I wouldn't worry about the ripeness, I think they're all rock hard!

I've always peeled them and got my meat cleaver out to chop them (they're worse than swedes to chop)!

I like this idea of roasting them whole sound much better :o

If you ever don't want the roasted flavour - eg for mash or you want it half cooked for use in a pie or something, then you can put large chunks in the steamer for 5-7 minutes, cool, and then the skin just comes off in your hands.

If you ever have a round squash, or pumpkin you can cut the lid of scoop the seeds out and then add some browned meat I use half pork, half beef add some onion, carrot, eggplant and peas and season with a little mixed spice, salt and pepper. Pop the squash lid back on top, place on a tray and cook for about an hour at 180. Its really tasty and slices really well.

I've been buying butternut squash for years and never made the connection that I should buy one which has a small rounded end and long narrow end where most of the flesh is. How silly I never thought of this before. Big eejit I am. Great bit of advice. Thank you whoever posted with that info.