Winter Squash, From Decoration to Dinner

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Unlike their sister vegetable the summer squash, which is harvested and consumed while the skin is thin, winter squash such as pumpkins are left to mature on the vine. The name “winter squash” has nothing to do with its growing time as it is grown during warm months, the same as summer squash. The difference is that it is harvested during September and October, once the skin has had time to harden and the seeds inside have reached maturity.

Although they are harvested during the fall, what makes a winter squash a winter squash is that after being plucked from the vine, they continue to ripen for another 2 to 4 weeks, really reaching their peak in the range of 1-3 months. Storing the squash in a single layer in a cool, dry area, a properly cared for squash can continue to be consumed well into the cold winter months.

Aside from the pumpkin, the harbinger of fall, there are several other winter squash varieties to be enjoyed for consumption as well as for an autumnal decoration. Spaghetti squash with its noodle-like interior is often used as a low-carb, low-cal alternative to its starchy namesake. Acorn squash, named for the nut it resembles, is the perfect size to be a natural serving dish for a soup made from its interior. Butternut squash is almost as common these days as pumpkin, its sweet flesh turning up as a filling for ravioli, a base for a cream soup or baked as a side.

A lesser known winter squash, the kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin, is distinctly green in color but a sister nonetheless to both butternut and pumpkin in flavor or texture. The kabocha has been turning up on more restaurant menus these days, and certain chef acquaintances of mine swear that it makes a better butternut squash or pumpkin ravioli filling than the original.

No matter the winter squash one decides to work with, making it work for your kitchen in a timely fashion requires some concentration and a little elbow grease. Yes, it is always lovely to have the caramelized sweetness of a slow roasted squash before it goes on to become part of the recipe. But lacking the hour needed to bake squash to that point, there are alternatives.

Using a heavy duty chefs knife to work with, cut the squash of choice down the center (use this technique for butternut, sugar pumpkins, and kabocha). Scrape out the seeds and discard. Lay each half cut side down and slice lengthwise into 1 inch wide strips. Using a smaller, thinner knife such as a good paring or boning knife, work around the edges of each slice to trim off hard skin and discard. Cut remaining flesh into 1 inch long pieces to get rough cubes 1 inch by 1 inch. From here the squash can be simmered for soup or pan sautéed for an interesting salad or side, all in about the time it would take to carve a Jack O’ Lantern.

Whether that winter squash starts out as a Halloween decoration or becomes part of an autumnal cornucopia, give it a month--or three--and it can find new life at the tip of one’s chef’s knife, the bottom of a sauté pan, and back to the table, this time as something you can take in with your eyes and your mouth.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 medium kabocha squash (or butternut)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 8 cups mixed salad greens