The colorful and dramatic winter squash could have their own show, with a cast of characters as varied and vivid as any Disney fantasy-styled production.
From the exotic Turk’s turban to the calicoed carnival and the portly, blue-toned sweet meat, these autumn-into-winter veggies have it all: high nutrition values plus maximum charm.
There are so many kinds of winter squash it’s hard to believe they all belong to the same family, Curcurbitacae.
All squash lovers have strong feelings about their favorites. Bakers are typically looking for ones with nice dry innards, like butter cup or sweet meat. For small families, there’s always the delicata, acorn and pretty little sugar dumpling.
If you’re already planning next year’s backyard garden, keep in mind that the small varieties are more ideal for two people, whereas, the “family size” varieties like the butternut work great for, well, families.
Over the year, plant breeders have been working on improving flavor, texture, disease resistance and compactness. If a plant is specifically resistant to mildew, for example, the plant can keep growing, getting sweeter and more nutritious for a longer period before harvesting.
As you probably know, winter squash are good keepers, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find one in bad shape.
For long-term storage, make sure the stem is intact, which helps protect the inner meat from moisture.
Also, pass over any specimens that are showing obvious signs of spoilage, such as soft spots, moldy spots or significant blemishes, which are a sign of mishandling.
If you keep your squash in a cool, dry place they’ll keep (uncut) for at least a month, but most will last through the winter. For long-term storage (3 to 6 months), the ideal temperature is 50 to 60 degrees. For most, that means a shelf in the garage, where conditions are likely to be comfortably cool, dry and dark.
Once you’ve cut into your squash, wrap any unused chunks in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to four or five days.
One of my favorite ways to use a winter squash is in a roasted vegetable soup.
I created this first recipe in an effort to come up with a new sort of winter squash preparation.
Roasting the vegetables adds a great depth of flavor to the soup. The chipotles — dried and smoked jalapeno peppers — add a subtle smoked flavor.
It’s my feeling that smoking is a nice way to tame the sweetness in winter squash. Plus, of course, you’ll find just a bit of fire from the chipotle pepper!
Jan’s roasted vegetable soup with winter squash and chipotle peppers
1acorn squash (or delicata, tan delicata or sugar loaf)
1large baking potato
1large red or yellow onion
1medium-sized leek (about 1-inch in diameter at the root end)
Extra-virgin olive oil
17-ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (see note)
7cups chicken or vegetable broth
Sour cream garnish
To prepare the squash, slice about 1/2 inch from top and bottom ends to create flat surfaces. Laying the squash on one of the flat surfaces, halve the squash by cutting downward. Scoop out the seeds and membrane, then lay the cut halves cut-side down on the cutting board and slice each half into 1/2-inch half circles. With a sharp paring knife, peel away as much skin as possible (it’s difficult to remove all the skin in the scalloped surface, so don’t worry).
Peel the potato and cut lengthwise into quarters.
Cut off stem and root end from the onion and peel. Cut in half. Cut each onion half lengthwise into thirds.
After thoroughly washing the leek, slice away the root end and then cut into 1-inch wide rounds, using all of the white and pale green portions.
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an 11-by-17-inch or larger roasting pan. Layer in the prepared vegetables, turning each piece to coat thoroughly with the olive oil (you may have to drizzle on a bit more). Brush each piece of vegetable with some of the adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers.
Roast the vegetables in a 375-degree oven until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 60 to 90 minutes.
Place the vegetables in a large soup pot with the broth and 1 chipotle pepper. You can add a second pepper after pureeing the soup if you want it spicier.
Now ladle about a cup of the broth from the pot into the roasting pan. Swirl the broth around in the pan and scrape with a spatula to dissolve and capture any caramelized bits of vegetable (there’s a lot of flavor in these pan drippings), then pour this mixture back into the pot. Bring the broth to a boil and simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes, just to further soften the vegetables.
At this point, for a smooth soup, puree the soup in batches, using a blender or food processor. For a slightly chunky soup, consider using a hand-held blender and simply chop up the vegetables right in the pot.
If the soup seems too thick after chopping or pureeing, you can add additional broth or even a bit of cream. Then reheat.
May be served immediately or prepared up to two days ahead and refrigerated until ready to reheat and serve.
Garnish each serving with a dollop or drizzle of sour cream.
Makes 9 to 10 cups
Note on chipotle peppers: As I said, chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapenos. They are sold either in the dried state or canned in a spicy red sauce called adobo.
For this recipe, you’re using the “canned in adobo sauce” chipotle peppers. They generally hang out in the Mexican food section of well-stocked supermarkets.
Tip on using chipotle peppers: Because you’re going to use only one or maybe two chipotles from the can, consider pureeing the remaining peppers with some of the sauce and storing them in your refrigerator for up to 10 days, or in your freezer for several months.
You can dip into the puree to use whenever a bit of smoke and heat is desired in a recipe, such as in a homemade chili, or as a zesty topping over omelettes, tortillas, tacos, tamales and enchiladas.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
