by Katherine Born

Created on: August 18, 2009

Ahh...butternut squash. Definitively the most delicious of the winter squashes, hands down. But that's my opinion. Try cooking it in one of the ways described here and I'm pretty sure you'll be a convert too.

"Winter squash" is a category of vegetables that includes butternut, acorn, buttercup and spaghetti squash, to name a few. They are called the winter squashes because their tough outer shell allows for long storage into the winter months. Butternut squash is very high in vitamin A and has decent levels of Vitamin C, calcium and iron. Butternut squash can be used in soups, mashed like potatoes, served tossed with other roasted vegetables and many other quick and delicious ways. Depending on the method of cooking, it can be a quick fix or a long start-it-and-leave kind of food.

* If the dish calls for chunks of cooked butternut squash, the best method is this:

Chop the raw squash into cubes, leaving the skin on or cutting it off. Microwave the chunks until tender in a covered bowl. Use in the recipe as directed.

Microwaving allows for the best retention of nutrition if a chunk-type form is necessary.

* If using for a soup, you can use the above method or the following.

* The hands-down best method of cooking butternuts is also very simple. It leaves moist, tender butternut squash that is a pleasure to eat.

Remove any stickers from the skin. Preheat the oven to 350F or 425 (depending on how much time you have to cook it). Slice the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds (you can roast them like pumpkin seeds if you like!). Take a baking pan with at least a small ridge and put 1/4-1/2" of water into it - you don't want to drown it but you don't want it to evaporate completely either. Place both halves of the squash into the water, cut side down. Bake for 45-60 minutes (350F) or 30-45 (425F). Begin checking the squash at the least amount of time, putting it back in if it's not done yet (size of squash, oven, dish type - these factors will be different for everyone, so just keep an eye on it). The squash will be ready when a fork goes through it easily.

Once baked, the squash "meat" will be easily scoopable. Scoop it into a bowl and mash, adding butter, salt and sugar to taste, for a simple absolutely delicious side dish. Or you can put the cook squash into a soup. It will even make great pie! Just try your favorite pumpkin pie recipe with butternut instead!

* If you are looking to make a pie, a method that is quicker than the others and leaves the squash meat ready for pureeing is pressure cooking. Put cubes of squash into a pressure cooker, set the timer according to the guidelines (see this link if you need: http://www.healthgoods.com/Shopping/Appliances/Press ure_Cooking_Times.htm), and when it's done puree with a blender or food processor. Pressure cooking gives a finer texture.

Although I personally prefer cooking butternut squash in the water method, this page would not be complete without mentioning how my mom made it when I was growing up. She placed the cut side up, smeared it with butter and sprinkled brown sugar on it, and then baked it. You never would have caught us complaining about eating our veggies on butternut night! I hope your butternut squash turns out just as delicious.

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