101 Things to Make with Butternut Squash

[SoupDragon]

Especially for Coddy!

Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
400g(peeled) butternut squash
1 onion
1 small carrot
30g salted butter
1 vegetable stock cube
400ml water
2 bay leaves
150-200ml milk

To garnish
a little single cream
a little chopped fresh herb(such as chive and oregano)

Method:
Slice the onion and carrot thinly. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and carrot and then fry them on a low heat until they soften (about 15 to 20 minutes - they must not brown).
Peel the butternut squash quite generously and dice it into small cubes. Add to the saucepan with the water, the stock cube and the bay leaves and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on or until the vegetable are tender.
Take the bay leaves out and add the milk and then put the soup in a blender and whizz until smooth. Add seasoning if necessary and serve with the cream & herbs

Is there an easy way to peel a butternut squash?

Potato peeler thingy just won't do it and a sharp knife is too scary!!!

Do they ripen? and so get easier to peel.......

Not that I've noticed!

I must try that soup, it looks great.

We cook butternut squash in a very simple way. Peal and chop into chunks, peal and chop up onemedium onion. Put both in a pan of water, about half way up the veg (IYSWIM). Cook until tender, about 20 mins does it. (make sure that it doesn't stick to the pan and burn, add more water if you need to) Mash them both together with a knob of butter and some fresh ground nutmeg. SIL first cooked it and this is how they do it in South Africa where she comes from.

It tastes wonderful and we often have it with the Sunday roast.

emmatmg - I hace a potato peeler from Muji - it works great on butternut squash (and potato in need of severe peeling) - makes life a lot easier.
It's great in a soup made with fresh ginger yum yum and dd (9 months) loves it

Emmatmg, why bother peeling it? if you roast it you can eat the skin.

This recipe is from martha stewart.com, so excuse the american measurments. i love this and feel it is worth the effort...
Butternut Squash Risotto
1 medium butternut squash
5 to 6 cups Homemade Chicken Stock,or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cut squash into eighths; discard seeds. In a large pot filled with 1 inch of simmering water, steam squash on a steaming rack or in a bamboo steamer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop flesh from skin and mash lightly.

2. In a large saucepan, heat stock to a simmer. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add oil and shallots; cook for 2 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

3. Add wine to rice, and cook, stirring, until wine is nearly absorbed. Stir in a cup of stock and squash; cook at a steady simmer until liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue stirring in stock, a ladleful at a time, until rice is creamy and firm but not hard in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Add chopped rosemary. Stir in remaining butter and most of the Parmesan. Serve immediately in shallow bowls garnished with cheese and rosemary sprigs.

Or if you roast or steam it you just scoop out the flesh.

My favourite is Butternut squash and shrimp soup
Roast 1 squash whole - I tend to leave it for an hour or so
Fry a thinly sliced onion in a little olive oil until soft (you can leave this out if you want to really simplify)
Scoop flesh from squash and put in blender with fried onion, 1 packet cooked and peeled prawns, boiling water to cover (plus a bit) and a shake of Marigold Bouillon powder. Whizz up, pour into a pan, add carton of single cream stir and reheat.

Roast the butternut squash and then scoop out the soft insides, mash with some butter, salt & pepper to taste.
You can have it as mash on its own, or mix with potato mash.

A door stop

Quite inspired now....
To date the only butternut squash I'd cooked was pureed and mixed with B milk for DD1 and DD2 - don't think I'll share that with you!!

Odd you should mention that recipe as I currently have 2 ice cube trays full of it in my freezer, plus some in my hair, on my shoulder and no doubt a few other places which I will only discover several days later.

FWIW, I think the best way to cook them is split them, scoop out seeds, brush with olive oil and roast in oven then scoop out flesh. Very nice added in chunks to beef casserole

My favourite is Nigella's Thai Seafood Curry. I have posted the recipe before, the main veg in it is butternut squash and it is gorgeous. I also like the spicy thing that Jamie Oliver does with butternut squash, I believe he recommends using it in risotto too.

Love butternut squash, I'm going to give your soup a try Soupdragon!

oooh love butternut squash in our house!!
will post stuff tomorrow though - brain not functioning tonight
!

Butternut squash wine
Butternut squash pickle
Butternut squash jam
Butternut squash squash
Butternut squash Butter
Squashed buter nut squash
Butternut squashed with squashed butternuts
Butternut squash pate
Butternut squash quiche
Butternut squash pasta
Butternut squash with roast veg

11 more, now stop moaning

roasted with olive oil and chilli flakes, makes top salad/startery thing with rocket and parmesan (or goat's cheese)

august, i also make b.s. risotto, but roast the squash with fresh rosemary and make the risotto with red wine -- amazing colour