9 Tips for Cooking Squash

1. Buy firm and blemish-free winter squash, then store in a very cool, dark place. It will keep all winter.
2. Peel flat-skinned winter squash with a paring knife, ribbed winter squash with a large serrated knife.
3. Cooked and puréed winter squash can be frozen long term without detriment.
4. Grind toasted seeds for seasoning chili or molés and baked goods like breads and muffins.
5. Try slicing and grilling winter squash, brushing with yakitori glaze (buy ready-made or make your own from sake, tamari, rice wine and ginger) before taking off the grill.
6. Purée any winter squash and season with maple syrup and bourbon, pie spices or curry spices.
7. Sauté cubed winter squash as you would potato hash browns and season with onions and rosemary.
8. Try to get your hands on some Japanese Kabocha squash. It has an easy-to-peel turban shape and may be the tastiest and sweetest of all winter varietals.
9. Spaghetti squash, invented in 1930, can be baked and the strands of flesh scraped from the skin, then seasoned to taste. Its unusual flesh stands up well to baking in a gratin with tomatoes, thyme and Romano cheese.

This was excerpted from “Sweet on Squash” which was published in the November/December 2002 issue of Experience Life magazine.