By Virginia A. Johnson | Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:00 am
They're the squash chef loves to try
In the culinary world, dolled-up winter squash is posh, but Kristie Glaser likes hers plain, thank you.
"I don't like eating squash that tastes blah," she said, "but I don't like it all blinged-up, either."
Glaser lives on Seven Mile Lane with her husband, Brian, and two daughters, Brooke and Kendra, where she grows both common and exotic-looking squash.
"I used to grow the usual varieties, like Hubbard or acorn," she said, "but I noticed some odd-looking ones in a seed catalog, so I started growing them and I've found that the uglier they look, the better I like them."
Glaser, a Linn County Master Gardener, grows around 10 varieties of squash in her garden. Although this year's crop did not produce well, she usually sells wheelbarrow loads of squash at the farmer's market in Brownsville.
"I like to educate folks so they will eat more squash," she said. "I encourage people to not be afraid to try eating a new type of squash, even if it does look ugly."
Hard-shelled varieties have always been a staple in autumn and early winter menus, but in recent years they have become the centerpiece in some haute cuisine.
Whether a person serves winter squash in salata or in frittata, the point is to prepare this vegetable in such a way that people actually like eating it, with or without the added bling.
As the mother of two small children, Glaser doesn't have time to experiment with complicated recipes, so she serves it as simply as possible in the family's meals.
"I might roast the squash in the oven, with sugar, or even stuffed with meat and vegetables," she said. "But a lot of the time I steam it, puree the meat, and then freeze it in ice cube trays."
She often puts a cube or two of frozen squash into soup, meatloaf or even muffins.
If Glaser tries a new recipe using squash and it isn't eaten, she has a simple solution.
"I put it in my worm compost and feed it to them," she said.
Not all of Glaser's squash end up in family meals. She uses some of her uglies for decorations throughout the harvest season.
"I grew a lot of squash that goes well with Halloween," she said. "The red, warty ones, such as the Galeux d'Eysines, look really good."
Glaser believes people can grow winter squash at home, even if they only have a small plot.
"An acorn squash should grow well in a large pot," she said, "but its vines will need some form of support, such as a trellis or teepee made out of sticks."
Glaser has a few tips so people will know how to select a posh winter squash:
• Buy only mature fruit. Its skin should be hard and not easily scratched with a fingernail.
• Select a squash that has no soft spots or decay. Blemishes are OK.
• The squash should have at least 1 inch of vine still attached to it.
• There may be some soil on the squash, but it should be a very light amount.
• Store squash in a cool, dark, dry location.
Squash does suffer from a "yuck" factor, but its bold yellow or orange flesh - an excellent source of vitamin A, potassium and fiber - make this vegetable an important part of everyone's diet.
If you serve squash in a straightforward manner, but everyone still turns up their nose at your attempt, then do like Glaser does.
"I served squash-laced yeast rolls for last Thanksgiving," she said. "People loved them and didn't realize I'd put squash in the recipe. My cousin hates squash and she did not even know she was eating it."
Winter squash
with Spanish rice
Ingredients:
2 whole winter squash, such as acorn, butternut or spaghetti
Olive oil
2 cups cooked rice
1/2-1 pound hamburger, cooked
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
11/2-2 cups whole stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt
Pepper
Catsup
Directions:
Halve squash and remove the seeds. Spread olive oil over the cut surface of each half of squash.
Place squash cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until the meat of the squash is tender. Keep them warm.
In a large skillet, sauté onions and bell pepper in olive oil until almost tender. Add the rice, hamburger, stewed tomatoes and chili powder. Mix well. Cover and simmer until thoroughly heated and all liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper and catsup to taste and mix well.
Scoop the Spanish rice into the cavity of each half of squash and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Recipe by Kristie Glaser
Chocolate chip cookies
with a surprise
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
21/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cubes frozen pureed winter squash, thawed
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and beat until well incorporated. Add half the pureed squash to this, and mix well. Beat in the last half of the flour mixture, and finish with the last of the squash. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Place heaping tablespoons of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake in a moderate oven (350 to 375 degrees), until light golden in color. Immediately remove from the cookie sheet.
Recipe by Kristie Glaser, adapted from Hershey's Kitchen
Winter or Summer?
When people think squash, they often jumble together acorn with zucchini, or crookneck with Hubbard, but there are definite criteria separating summer squash from its winter siblings.
Different varieties of winter squash have four things in common:
* Harvested in autumn
* Must be picked at full maturity
* Have a hard shell
* Can be stored for up to several months