The joy and peril of butternut squash season is that it can seem endless. While it runs from early fall to well into winter, the squash’s hearty nature means good ones can be found even beyond winter, maybe even longer than your appetite for them lasts. When leaves start to turn shades of orange, yellow and red, it’s exciting to see those sweet, earthy gourds. But months later, when the landscape grows darker, grayer, frostier, our attitudes toward butternut squash can, too. Combat those icy feelings before they even arise with these seven tricks for making the most of butternut squash.
1. When in doubt, roast it
Of all cooking methods (simmering, steaming), it seems like squash is best when it’s roasted. When cooked at a high temperature, the dense squash caramelizes with ease, letting its sweetness and nuttiness shine. You can even skip the harrowing task of peeling: The oven can crisp the skin, adding a pleasant snap against the fudgy flesh.
Recipes to try: Roasted Butternut Squash | Roasted Butternut Squash With Brown Butter Vinaigrette
2. Blend it up for a creamy soup
Once hardy butternut squash is soft enough to mash with a fork, it’s also tender enough to blend into a creamy soup. Because of the flesh’s starch and pectin, it can whirl into something shiny, thick and luxurious without any cream. Just take a look at Yewande Komolafe’s recipe, which doubles down on the squash’s warmth by roasting it until caramelized and infusing the soup with spices such as cinnamon and black pepper.
Recipes to try: Butternut Squash Soup | Miso Squash Soup | Creamy Cashew Butternut Squash Soup
3. Add coconut
The post How to Cook (Better) With Butternut Squash appeared first on New York Times.
