Ask the A2K cooks!

@dadpad,

dadpad wrote:

If you buy a slice of Qld Blue it tends to get a bit slimy in the fridge before we can use it all.

you buy squash pre-sliced?

1 Reply

@msolga,

on culinary pumpkins - some varieties are preferred to the decorative beasties..

http://www.ochef.com/847.htm

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

You can buy a whole one - but, unless you have a cast of thousands, it's too much to eat before it goes off. You usually buy a lump, say a quarter, or smaller. Enough for a meal or two.

1 Reply

@margo,

Interesting. That's not an option here. You buy the whole blinking squash/pumpkin - or none.

0 Replies

I fixed these for our early Thanksgiving dinner tonight, along with a roasted turkey breast. In the US they're called a sweet dumpling squash and are about the size of a softball. I just split them in half and gave them a coating of the same herbed butter mixture I used to stuff under the turkey skin and tucked them into the oven along side the turkey.

http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/sweetdumplingsquash.jpg

0 Replies

@msolga,

Quote:

I often just cut mine in wedges before roasting, leaving the skin on.

quash further discussion

0 Replies

@msolga,

msolga wrote:

So, what's your verdict, Thomas?

(pssst .. a bit of garlic never goes astray. )

As I said earlier, I enjoyed the taste of just plain butternut squash (wrapped in aluminum foil and baked). Having learned that, I will try recipes that don't alter the taste too much. I actually had a change of plans about the second half of that squash: This evening I will bake it, then mash it, then use it as a side to asparagus and smoked tempeh. (The original German recipe calls for mashed potatoes and ham respectively. But based on past experience, I'm expecting the substitutions to work. And as a bonus, pumpkin has only half as many calories as potatoes.)

I definitely see more butternut squash in my future.

2 Replies

@Thomas,

Quote:

As I said earlier, I enjoyed the taste of just plain butternut squash....

Oops. Sorry.

... But, speaking of garlic ....

I've never cooked a 40 clove chicken recipe & I intend to give it a go soon. Checking out my recipe books & also online cooking threads, there seem to be a variety of approaches to the dish.
If any of you have cooked it, what's your preferred method?
I'm tossing up between braised, roasted & slow cooked.
Any recommendations?

2 Replies

@msolga,

msolga wrote:

Quote:

As I said earlier, I enjoyed the taste of just plain butternut squash....

Oops. Sorry.

Oh, nothing to be sorry for. By "earlier" I meant "earlier than my current response to you", not "earlier than your last response to me".

1 Reply

@Thomas,

OK.
Not to worry. Smile

0 Replies

@msolga,

Here's just one of the recipes I came across:

I was wondering about "mirepoix".:

Quote:

Mirepoix is what he added. It's a French term for a combination of diced onion, carrot and celery that is used as a flavor base in many dishes. Apparently he had a packaged mix, but most people just chop these veggies up themselves.

In Louisiana they often call it the Holy Trinity, and swap out the celery for green bell pepper.

0 Replies

Hey, Thomas! Mark Bittman eats butternut squash raw: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/dining/17mini.html?hpw

1 Reply

@Swimpy,

Now there's an interesting idea. Thanks, Swimpy!

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Thomas wrote:

farmerman wrote:

Butternut squash needs something, see my thread on butternut squash. Flavor is something you must add to these bad boys, they are amazingly bland by themselves. Cinnamon and cloves help the butter(Remember they make pumpkin pies out of these things)

With the first half of the squash, I stuck to the original plan of just butter and salt, but doubled the salt to about a full tablespoon. (I don't know how many ounces of butter I used, but the whole squash was covered by about 1/8 inch of butter.) I wrapped it in aluminium foil and baked it at 350 degrees for a full hour. That worked very well. The taste was mild but not bland, vaguely nut-like. I could easily have eaten more.

for a more healthful (and tastier, IMNSHO) result, use a broth instead of butter during the baking/roasting stage. Chicken or veggie broth work equally well - though I'd make sure there was some sage in the flavouring of the veggie broth, if that was the choice.

0 Replies

@Thomas,

Let me know if you try it.

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Thomas wrote:

I actually had a change of plans about the second half of that squash: This evening I will bake it, then mash it, then use it as a side to asparagus and smoked tempeh. (The original German recipe calls for mashed potatoes and ham respectively. But based on past experience, I'm expecting the substitutions to work. And as a bonus, pumpkin has only half as many calories as potatoes.)

Mashed squash worked perfect in place of mashed potatoes. And as Beth said, broth worked really nice on top of that baking squash. To top it off, I replaced the butter in my mashed-potato recipe with an equal amount of pumpkin seed oil in my mashed squash. The result is delicious. Pumpkin seed oil rules!

0 Replies

@Swimpy,

Swimpy wrote:

Let me know if you try it.

I will, but I'll need to go utensil-shopping first. How do you chop raw squash into small yet firm pieces? Kitchen knives won't work because squash is too tough. My graters don't really work because they tend to either make flakes or a mash. Is there such a thing as a tough-vegetable-chopping machine that stops short of making a mash?

3 Replies

@Thomas,

Maybe a better kitchen knife? I slice raw squash for roasting fairly often, it's not easy to be sure but it's not prohibitively difficult.

Not sure how small you have in mind but what I would probably do is slice thinly and then do whatever from there.

(I usually make ~1-inch cubes out of 'em, not very cubic cubes though, usually more like 3/4" x 1/2" x 7/8", for example. I slice off ~ 3/4"- thick rounds, then cut off the skin, then cut the round into about 9 pieces.)

edit: I clicked on Swimpy's link, and it shows Bittman's method.

If I didn't have one of those food processors (and I don't), I'd probably do thin slices and then julienne them. Quite doable with my kitchen knives.

1 Reply

@sozobe,

Sharper kitchen knives. Got it. Thanks!

0 Replies

There are several good squash recipes (I've hit at least 3 so far and I'm only to #27 in the stream of photos/recipes) here:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-thanksgiving-pictures,0,5711369.photogallery

I've never possessed a bottle of pumpkin seed oil, she types enviously.

2 Replies

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