Butternut Squash?

[Furball]

I've been really adventurous and bought a butternut squash for my 20 month old!!

Now what? All I seem to find is that you roast it in oil, which is fine. But I was hoping for more of a 'meal' with it. Anyone any ideas?

I make Butternut Squash risotto which is delish with lots of paremsan and it also makes very good soup.

I used to make a butternut squash cous-cous for dd - with raising and other veg. You can also mash it and server as a kind of shepherds pie with mince. Or chop very small and add with other veg to a tomato sauce and pasta....

sorry - that should read raisins

I made a wonderful butternut squash and prawn soup the other day - it was really easy I'll post the recipe later. Not much good before you can eat shellfish though. I never actually roasted it in oil - just prick it a couple of times, shove it in the oven whole and after an hour or so cut it in half and scoop out the flesh.

Bells2 - Your risotto sounds nice, whats involved, Ingredient and 'How to' wise?

I did O'level cookery, went to night school for two years and I'm still absolutely cr@p in the kitchen, have got no idea what goes with what, and it's hit or miss whether a receipe turns out alright.

I cut mine in half, scoop out all the seeds then make a stuffing with breadcrumbs, cheese (stilton is nice for grown ups) and parsley. Put all that in the hole and have enough left over to lie on top of the rest of each half. Pour a little olive oil over the top, cover in tin foil & put in oven for an hour on 180 deg C. Take tinfoil off and give it another 10 mins.
Yum!

Butternut squash are also pumpkins so you can make pumpkin scones, pumpkin pies etc. You can mash it just like potato and beside the advice above you can make nice Thai curries with it. Use it exactly like any other vegetable. You can eat it with or without the skin.

I used this to sweeten up some of my ds's meals. therefore, blitzed all the veg including this.

Pumpkin soup is devine.

Furball, I roast the squash in largeish chunks (try not to let it get too brown) and then mash it and set aside.

Fry a small onion and a couple of garlic cloves in olive oil or butter (I use a Le Creuset casserole dish or a fry pan) add as much risotto/arborio rice as you need. Then add a dash of white wine (or not if it's only for you child) and cook it until it's absorbed. Then add hot vegetable or chicken stock to the pan a ladleful at a time, stirring the whole time until the liquid is absorbed. Make sure you don't overcook it as the rice should stilll have a 'bite'. Just before servicng, stir in the butternut squash ( I often add sweetcorn at this stage too) and loads of freshly grated parmesan and a big slurp of double cream. Grate some nutmeg over the top and you're done.

Whatever risotto I make, I always make double quantity and then the next day, add a beaten egg to the mixture, shape into patties and fry them in butter until they are crisp and brown. Then I serve them with a dollop of creme fraiche and some smoked salmon or parma ham.

dd's loved butternut squash since very young. Mashed like swede is nice. Soup is lovely, I like it with chicken in soup - so buttery you don't have to use much butter/cream to get a cream of consistency. Otherwise I tend to cube it and use it, especially with sweet potatoes, in risottos, pasta sauces etc.

It also lasts ages in the fridge with no apparent deteriation!

Thanks Bells2 - I'll give it a go for tomorrow, you're a star!

No offence to anyone else who posted, If he likes it, I'll maybe experiment with someothers at a later date. - Here's hoping, he can be a fussy so and so at times.

Similar to Bugsy. I cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds (which are great toasted in the oven like pine nuts) and some of the flesh with a spoon, then saute the flesh with some onion, garlic, mushrooms and rosemary (or any other herbs you fancy). Then stir in some basmati rice and sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts (and the squash seeds if you like) and leave to cool. Stuff the squash with the mixture (there is usually some left over) sandwich the squash back together, rub in a little oil, and cover in foil adn bake in the oven on a very high light for about an hour from memory. Very good with a green salad...though I like Bugsy's idea of Stilton. I guess mine is the diet version - can you tell we still have our pregnancy weight to lose???

Phillipat - I'll keep it til Monday then and do it for us as well.

My attempts at cooking don't sound half as exotic/elaborate it you lot. Maybe I should start a thread on everybodies favourite receipes,the quicker and easier the better.

Mine = Take one frozen Pizza from freezer, place on middle shelf of oven. Meanwhile, on a baking tray add a few handfuls of 'ovenchips' as required and also place on a shelf in the oven. Cook for 20 ish minutes at 220 C, serve with salt, vinegar and lashings of mayonaise.

LOL Furbal, me too! These recipes sound lovely, I'm going to try them as soon as I can get hold of a butternut squash. In the past, I've been peeling and cubing before roasting and it takes forever - so looking forward to not going through that palava again.

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!

Some great recipes here.

Just wanted to add that I found it took an age to roast. As we don't use the oven that often it seemed really wasteful. I ended up steaming it (peeled and cubed) which was a lot quicker.

Pumpkin (or butternut squash) soup

Cut your squash into chunks and steam or microwave it in water for a few minutes. This makes it easier to peel, because it's something short of impossible to do while raw.

Gently fry some onions and garlic (if you want) in a little butter or olive oil. Throw in the squash, without skin, and fry a little. This caramalises the sugars a bit and makes the soup a bit sweeter.

Add enough stock or water to cover the vegetables, put a lid on it and simmer for about 20 minutes.

When the squash is soft, blend it or mash the soup to a pulp.

Check the seasoning. DH likes his with cumin seed and chilli, but a 20 month child may reject it if it's too hot. Nutmeg also goes well.

Serve with either a dollop of plain yoghurt or some cheese melted in.

This freezes really well.

The trick to peeling butternut squash or pumpkin of any variety is to use your potato peeler. This makes the job really easy. You probably all know that already though. I've never had to boil mine before peeling.

We eat pumpkin (a variety of them including butternut squash) as an everyday occurence in Australia. It's just put in with the other vegetables etc. when served up.

Butternut squash goes really well in roast vegetable lasagne. I roast lots of carrot, butternut squash, onion and peppers in a tin and then make up as a lasagne with usual tomato and cheese sauces.
I also use a potato peeler to skin them, does anyone else find their skin on their hands goes a bit funny after handling the raw flesh - mine looks like it has gone all tight - makes you wander what it does to your insides. Happy Cooking

Your lasagne sounds divine. Is it hard to make? Can I have the full recipe if its not too much hassle. I have friends over for dinner tomorrow night and that will be the perfect thing to feed them.

Meanmum, I'd already typed it out for someone else so here is the recipe. I think it came originally from Delia but has probably evolved a bit. I don't normally follow a recipe, so don't blame me if all the quantities are wrong!

Roast Vegetable Lasagne

Roast vegetables
1 butternut squash
3 sweet potatoes
5 carrots
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
herbs
ground salt and pepper
olive oil (as much as you like!)

Dice the vegetables and place in a roasting tin, cover with crushed garlic, herbs, salt/pepper and olive oil. Roast in oven Gas Mark 6 for 40-45 minutes, give the tin a good shake occasionally so well covered with oil. Whilst these are roasting you can make the cheese and tomato sauces.

Tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
squirt of tomato puree
herbs
paprika
(pulses if you want some extra protein)

Fry onion and garlic, pour on can of tomatoes, add seasoning and leave to simmer away while you make the cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce
½ pint full fat milk
1 tbs cornflour
1 tbs butter
100g cheese
sprinkle of nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan, and keep stirring over a gentle heat until it thickens.

When these are all done, find a big oven proof dish and put a layer of roast vegetables, some tomato sauce and some cheese sauce in the bottom, cover with some sheets of lasagne, and repeat this until you have used up all the sauces. Its best to finish with some tomato and cheese sauce so that all the lasagne sheets are covered. You can put some grated cheese and sliced tomato and sprinkle with paprika.

Cook in oven Gas Mark 5-6 for 40 minutes and serve hot!

It also freezes really well in small pots for kids

Hope you enjoy

WE just steam it and mash in with rice. Thanks for the recipes, ladies! Although it's an American staple, my whole family don't like squashes so I never learnt how to cook it!

Thank you KeepingMum. Didn't mean to make you redo it as it was here already. Appreciate it though and I'm sure our friends will appreciate it too.

Another good recipe which my ds loves (as do friend's children who I've passed the recipe onto)

1kg potatoes, peeled & diced
500g butternut squash, peeled & diced
25g butter
300ml milk
1 tsp chopped sage
4 skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 small Bramley apple, peeled & chopped
2 leeks, sliced
150ml dry cider (or apple juice)
1 chicken stock cube
50g Cheddar, grated

1. Put squash, potatoes, milk, butter & sage in a pan. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Mash until smooth.

2. Put chicken in another pan, with leeks, apple, cider & stock. Cover & simmer gently for 25 minutes, until chicken is tender.

Put the chicken mixture into the base of an ovenproof dish, & top with the mash. Sprinkle with the cheese & bake for 30 minutes at 190C.

You can prepare it up to 2 days ahead. Just cover & chill in the dish, then bake when ready. You can also make it in individual dishes, which kids often love.

Tetley that sounds perfect for my DS - just the kind of thing he'd like. Thanks!

Butternut squash is also good if your kids don't like many vegetables. It can be easily disguised when mashed and a bit added to baked beans or a tomato pasta sauce, especially if you do this from early on, then they don't know any different.