Need winter squash recipes!

We have an excessive amount of winter squash (heirloom acorn, kabocha, and heirloom pumpkins in all colors) around the house right now. It is left over from our wedding decorations, as we did a fall harvest theme at our reception with tons of produce on the tables. We have eaten through everything else and are left with over 100 lb of winter squash! Aside from making pies or giant vats of soup, can anyone share favorite recipes for winter squash? Thankfully this stuff stores well, but I'm determined not to let them go to waste, so we've got to start using them!

Butternut Squash Pierogi http://food52.com/recipes/7411-butternut-squash-perogies-with-caramelized-red-onion-apple

We puree them and add to lentil (and other) soup as a thickener that also provides a sweetness.

Puree and season to taste. Do not add butter, milk whole or dried, or anything of that nature. Seasoning could and should include spices just as nutmeg or cinnamon.

Puree and season to taste. Do not add butter, milk whole or dried, or anything of that nature. Seasoning could and should include spices just as nutmeg or cinnamon.

You think nutmeg and cinnamon are better than milk? Milk cuts the sweetness and can help thin out texture (depending on the squash). But nutmeg and cinnamon make it dangerously close to that sweet winter spice flavor that can be too strong this time of year. I guess it all depends on the portions.

One thing I was served (in my own house) many years ago was a thick chicken and rice stew served in a pumpkin. I've always wanted to try making that myself! Anyway, if you have something suitably tureen-shaped....

And this one looks good, too: http://chefgeorgehirsch.com/dailyfood/pumpkin-stuffed-with-chicken-and-rice.html

Thanks for the ideas so far, everyone. I'll have to give some of these a go and will report back.

Puree and season to taste. Do not add butter, milk whole or dried, or anything of that nature. Seasoning could and should include spices just as nutmeg or cinnamon.

You think nutmeg and cinnamon are better than milk? Milk cuts the sweetness and can help thin out texture (depending on the squash). But nutmeg and cinnamon make it dangerously close to that sweet winter spice flavor that can be too strong this time of year. I guess it all depends on the portions.

The problem with milk or butter that melts or anything of those natures makes the squash too runny. Seasonings are up to the individual.

One thing I was served (in my own house) many years ago was a thick chicken and rice stew served in a pumpkin. I've always wanted to try making that myself! Anyway, if you have something suitably tureen-shaped....

And this one looks good, too: http://chefgeorgehirsch.com/dailyfood/pumpkin-stuffed-with-chicken-and-rice.html

I've got to give this a try. Thanks.

I still have two pumpkins remaining from this year's crop, so I know where one will be of service.

Puree and season to taste. Do not add butter, milk whole or dried, or anything of that nature. Seasoning could and should include spices just as nutmeg or cinnamon.

You think nutmeg and cinnamon are better than milk? Milk cuts the sweetness and can help thin out texture (depending on the squash). But nutmeg and cinnamon make it dangerously close to that sweet winter spice flavor that can be too strong this time of year. I guess it all depends on the portions.

The problem with milk or butter that melts or anything of those natures makes the squash too runny. Seasonings are up to the individual.

Butter coagulates if you don't eat it all right away, so I agree that is not ideal. But I like a whipped/light/airy pureed texture, so milk works very well for me. Of course it depends on the particular squash specimen, and I don't necessarily add very much liquid, but I usually end up wanting drops of something (sometimes water, sometimes citrus/vinegar, sometimes milk).

Butternut Squash Pierogi http://food52.com/recipes/7411-butternut-squash-perogies-with-caramelized-red-onion-apple

Howie, that sounds excellent. Thanks for posting the link. What is maple cream? Is it something that can be made at home or is it one of those things that is just best purchased?

Howie, that sounds excellent. Thanks for posting the link. What is maple cream? Is it something that can be made at home or is it one of those things that is just best purchased?

Maple cream: http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/ ... ple-cream/

My wife is an absolute winter squash junkie. This time of year I'm making all sorts of things out of squash to satisfy her mania. These are a couple of her favorites that I've come up with:

1. Curried butternut squash. Peel a butternut squash, halve, and de-seed it. (BTW, simmering the seeds and scraped fibers in butter makes for a flavored butter that boosts the squash intensity of many dishes. Just an fyi.) Cube the peeled, seeded squash and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cubes with curry powder and/or garam masala, add raisins, very thinly sliced onions, and a liberal dose of good olive oil. Mix and let marinate about an hour. Steam and serve over rice (jasmine and basmati are great). I actually like to steam the squash mixture in a perforated tray over cooking rice. The flavored oil drips down and flavors the rice that way. In a way this is very much like a squash biryani.

2. Small squashes, like Delicata and Golden Nugget, are excellent simply sliced, floured, and pan fried. Just salt and pepper to taste. We sometimes then put the fried slices on a pan, top with mozzarella, and stick under the broiler til just browned and gooey. Once I even made them into squash tempura, and it was excellent.

3. Pumpkin ravioli was a standard in my Italian-American house growing up. Now I make it with various squashes. Our favorite is squash cooked down and mixed with brown butter, thyme, and some warming spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.

4. I made a roast caramelized squash ice cream for this past Thanksgiving that was a big hit. If you make your own ice cream, make a basic creme anglaise base and chill it. Roast off a halved squash in a hot oven until the cut surface caramelizes, puree it (only needs a fork) and chill it also. You can either then mix both chilled ingredients together and put into the machine, or start the creme anglaise in the machine first and add the squash near the end for a ribboned ice cream. I used pumpkin pie seasonings and a little honey in mine, but you can play around with that.

5. Round squash are natural cooking containers. Cut a hole in the top, scoop out the innards, and pour soup ingredients in. Then bake or steam it off. Soup in an edible bowl! It can be very, very good.

6. Similarly, dessert in an edible bowl! I recently tried making a coconut milk custard steamed in a Golden Nugget squash. It worked pretty well, although I let it cook a bit longer than I should (I was just playing around, not following a recipe, so I was guessing on the time). If you want to see how I did it - and it's a good general method for a lot of filled squash dishes - check out https://www.pinterest.com/dangerspouse/stuff-in-a-squash/.

I've got others, but that's enough for my fingers at the moment. Hope you enjoy, whatever it is you make!

I just remembered one more, though it's along the "pumpkin as tureen" line: When I was in Shanghai, earlier this year, I was served a seven-bean stew -- 7 different kinds of beans, simmered in a thick vegetable based sauce -- served in a pumpkin. Once the stew was served we started scraping the cooked flesh from the pumpkin... yum.

My wife is an absolute winter squash junkie. This time of year I'm making all sorts of things out of squash to satisfy her mania. These are a couple of her favorites that I've come up with:

1. Curried butternut squash. Peel a butternut squash, halve, and de-seed it. (BTW, simmering the seeds and scraped fibers in butter makes for a flavored butter that boosts the squash intensity of many dishes. Just an fyi.) Cube the peeled, seeded squash and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cubes with curry powder and/or garam masala, add raisins, very thinly sliced onions, and a liberal dose of good olive oil. Mix and let marinate about an hour. Steam and serve over rice (jasmine and basmati are great). I actually like to steam the squash mixture in a perforated tray over cooking rice. The flavored oil drips down and flavors the rice that way. In a way this is very much like a squash biryani.

2. Small squashes, like Delicata and Golden Nugget, are excellent simply sliced, floured, and pan fried. Just salt and pepper to taste. We sometimes then put the fried slices on a pan, top with mozzarella, and stick under the broiler til just browned and gooey. Once I even made them into squash tempura, and it was excellent.

3. Pumpkin ravioli was a standard in my Italian-American house growing up. Now I make it with various squashes. Our favorite is squash cooked down and mixed with brown butter, thyme, and some warming spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.

4. I made a roast caramelized squash ice cream for this past Thanksgiving that was a big hit. If you make your own ice cream, make a basic creme anglaise base and chill it. Roast off a halved squash in a hot oven until the cut surface caramelizes, puree it (only needs a fork) and chill it also. You can either then mix both chilled ingredients together and put into the machine, or start the creme anglaise in the machine first and add the squash near the end for a ribboned ice cream. I used pumpkin pie seasonings and a little honey in mine, but you can play around with that.

5. Round squash are natural cooking containers. Cut a hole in the top, scoop out the innards, and pour soup ingredients in. Then bake or steam it off. Soup in an edible bowl! It can be very, very good.

6. Similarly, dessert in an edible bowl! I recently tried making a coconut milk custard steamed in a Golden Nugget squash. It worked pretty well, although I let it cook a bit longer than I should (I was just playing around, not following a recipe, so I was guessing on the time). If you want to see how I did it - and it's a good general method for a lot of filled squash dishes - check out https://www.pinterest.com/dangerspouse/stuff-in-a-squash/.

I've got others, but that's enough for my fingers at the moment. Hope you enjoy, whatever it is you make!

Great ideas, Tom.

Do you make your own ravioli? I haven't done that since childhood, when we cut out the ravioli from the dough using a jelly jar to shape it. In fact, I can't imagine spending as much time as I remember it used to take when the whole family was recruited to build the assembly line.

In any case, I have scheduled one of two dishes for my last meal on earth: pumpkin ravioli in red pepper sauce with Gewurztraminer (Trentino) or sauteed soft shell crabs in lemon butter with Falerio (Colli Ascolani).

[Jenise]

Toss bite sized chunks with olive oil and chopped fresh garlic, roast on high heat until it starts to char, then serve as side dish. Or, my absolute favorite: take the same approach and combine the finished squash with cheese tortellini, fresh sage and browned butter.

I have a big batch of soup on the to do list for Christmas dinner, but then I can't wait to give these a try! You guys are awesome! Thank you!

Do you make your own ravioli? I haven't done that since childhood, when we cut out the ravioli from the dough using a jelly jar to shape it. In fact, I can't imagine spending as much time as I remember it used to take when the whole family was recruited to build the assembly line.

In any case, I have scheduled one of two dishes for my last meal on earth: pumpkin ravioli in red pepper sauce with Gewurztraminer (Trentino) or sauteed soft shell crabs in lemon butter with Falerio (Colli Ascolani).

Hi Thomas -

Lol. You used a jelly jar too? I remember my grandmother used one to shape hers also - the same jelly jar she always drank wine out of

Yeah, I make my own ravioli now. But unlike my grandma, I roll out a long sheet of pasta and dot one half with two rows of filling then fold the other half over it. At that point I grab a knife and cut it up into square ravioli. Much quicker, and less waste.

Oooo, I'm with you on those soft shell crabs! I love them in any incarnation.

Tom:

Hah! To be sure, the jelly jar did multiple duty.