Season of the Squash

One quick glance at the produce bins, and it’s obvious that squash is in full splendor. In addition to common butternut and acorn varieties, there are less familiar types such as sweet mama, pink banana, marble head, kushaw and turban. Load up on them. Most winter squash will last several months stored in the refrigerator or in a cool corner of the basement.

Once considered a pedestrian vegetable, squash has come up in the culinary world and is now appearing on many restaurant menus as a base for soups and sauces, as a pureed vegetable, ravioli filling and dessert, to name just a few.

Further, squash gets great press from the American Cancer Society: The carotenoids in squash are considered premier players in the fight against cancer. In addition, when you serve squash, you’re serving up a healthy dose of Vitamin A, traces of Vitamin C and potassium with lots of fiber. And squash has no fat and practically no sodium. All this with a basic low calorie count: 1/2 cup of pureed butternut squash tallies in at only 40 calories.

Luckily for the cook, most squashes are interchangeable in recipes. A slight adjustment may be necessary as the taste--and to some degree the texture--will vary slightly, but they’ll all work. The only exception is spaghetti squash, which harbors golden strands of “spaghetti” instead of a mass of orange flesh.

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Here, butternut squash provides a smooth, thick, creamy base to the bisque. A very small amount of cream--three tablespoons in about 9 1/2 cups of soup--is just enough to round out the texture even more.

THICK BUTTERNUT BISQUE WITH SWEET CORN 1 tablespoon oil 3 medium leeks, white part only thinly sliced (reserve green parts for another soup) 2 large cloves garlic, split 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2-inch chunks 4 to 4 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned) 3 tablespoons whipping cream

Heat oil in 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add leeks and garlic. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes.

Add squash, 4 cups broth, nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, until squash is very soft, about 25 minutes. Strain liquid into large bowl. Puree solids in processor or blender until very smooth, adding little liquid after pureed to make smoother. Return mixture and liquid to pot. Add corn and cream.

Stir well. Add remaining broth, if needed. Adjust seasonings to taste. Can be made few days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen as long as 3 months. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 230 calories; 613 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 4.38 grams fiber.

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There’s a certain sequence to getting just the right bronze color on the squash and then the right flavor. These wedges are good enough to eat plain as finger food; the skin becomes so soft that it’s edible too. These wedges also make great plate garnishes. Unless very large garlic cloves are used, they dry up and become hard but they still flavor the squash and make a nice presentation. This recipe is especially good with acorn squash; it looks good and tastes delicious.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH GARLIC, HONEY AND THYME 3 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil 2 large acorn squashes, split, seeds and membrane removed, each half cut lengthwise into quarters 8 large cloves garlic 2 tablespoons honey Salt Freshly ground pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Put oil in baking pan large enough to hold squash slices in 1 layer. Place in 400-degree oven until oil is hot, about 10 minutes. Tip pan to swirl oil over bottom. Pat squash wedges dry with paper towels. Place squash and garlic in single layer in pan. Roast 30 minutes. Drizzle honey over squash. Use spatula to turn squash. Shake pan to distribute honey.

Bake until squash is just tender but not mushy, about 20 to 30 minutes depending on size of squash wedges. Place wedges in bowl. Toss with salt and pepper to taste and thyme. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 216 calories; 83 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 3.15 grams fiber.

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Brown sugar, vanilla and squash combine to make this pudding taste butterscotchy. I used buttercup squash, which is sweet; you may want to add more sugar if you use a squash that is less sweet. Be sure not to overbake the pudding as it’s best soft (not cakelike), served warm with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into it.

WARM BUTTERSCOTCH SQUASH PUDDING 1/2 cup cake flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup cooked squash puree 2 large eggs 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed dark-brown sugar 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup chopped pecans Vanilla ice cream

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. In 1-quart bowl whisk vanilla, puree, eggs, sugar, cream and milk together until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients until smooth. Pour mixture into 6 (3/4-cup) individual souffle dishes, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Place souffle dishes in shallow baking pan large enough to hold all.

Place pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water into pan to reach halfway up sides of dishes. Bake at 275 degrees until pudding has puffed slightly but center is soft and wood pick inserted into center comes out wet, about 45 minutes. Do not overbake.

Carefully remove dishes from water. Cool pudding on rack. Serve warm, not hot. Can be made day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat in 300-degree oven 12 minutes or in microwave oven at MEDIUM (50% power). Serve with very small dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 286 calories; 163 mg sodium; 100 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.31 gram fiber.

How to Squish a Squash

Squash needs to be cooked until very soft in order to transform it into a smooth puree. This can be done either by baking, microwaving or steaming. For all methods, it is important to pierce the surface of the squash in several places with a fork. Cooking times vary with the size of the squash; the following times are based on large squashes that weigh about 2 1/4 pounds. For smaller sizes, decrease cooking time accordingly.

* To bake squash, place on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees, turning over once halfway through, until squash is very soft, about 1 hour, 20 minutes.

* To microwave squash, place on paper plate and cook on HIGH (100% power), turning over once, until very soft, about 20 minutes.

* To steam squash, cut in half. Put halves in large steamer basket, cut side down, over rapidly boiling water. Cover and cook until very soft, about 25 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

* To puree cooked squash, cool, then cut squash in half, remove seeds and stringy membrane. Spoon flesh into processor or, in batches, into blender. Puree until completely smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping once to scrape down sides of container.