The Barefoot Quiltessa: Featured Ingredient: Squash

Squash, squash everywhere . . . but what kind should I use?

I have been talking a lot lately on this blog about cooking with squash. Last night my mom was describing the various types of squash and gourds she had bought, largely for their ornamental value in her ever-changing seasonal center-island display and quizzing me on what kinds I thought they were. I have to say, I did not do very well identifying types of squash over the phone! Here's my chance to redeem myself. I thought I would post pictures of the various types of squash, along with simple descriptions of the flavors/uses of a few favorite types.

Butternut Squash:

This is my favorite type of squash to cook with. It has a sweet mild flavor, and is great roasted, mashed, or as the base for soups. The smooth skin also makes it relatively easy to peel, although the flesh is very hard and thick, making chopping a bit precarious at times.

Acorn Squash:

This is another fall classic. It is very flavorful and can be easier to cut up than the butternut squash. Another nice feature of this squash is that you can actually place it whole in your slow cooker, turn it on low, and let it slowly cook all day. When you get home, you'll have nicely cooked squash. Just cut it in half and then in slivered sections (like an orange) and serve! You can eat the skin, although I usually skip it. The flesh will be soft enough to just cut away from the skins.

Spaghetti Squash:

I can only assume that the name of this squash comes from the appearance of the flesh when you cut it open. It is very stringy and almost the color of spaghetti noodles.

Unlike other squash, where you remove the stringy parts along with the seeds, you don't want to remove the stringy parts of this squash, or you'll be left with just the rind! The only way I've ever cooked this squash is to cut it in half vertically, scoop out the seeds, and then lay it cut-side down on a cookie sheet and cook at 400 degrees until soft (up to an hour). Scoop out the cooked stringy flesh, season, and serve.

Here are some other kinds of squash that I am less familiar with: