Winter Squash Recipes

Winter Squash Recipes

Winter Squash can be cooked a variety of ways, using seasonings to your tasting! Here are just a few ways to cook up the multitude of Winter Squash you will find at the Farmers’ Market, now and in the coming months!

The Recipies

Butternut

1. Fill pan with ½-1 inch of water. Place steamer basket in bottom of pot. Begin to heat on medium with a lid.
2. Peel outer skin. With a large kitchen knife, cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and save for roasting, if you like!
3. With a large kitchen knife, cut squash into approximately 1 inch chunks.
4. Put squash in steamer basket and cover pot with a lid. Steam 5-10 minutes until fork tender.
5. Lightly drizzle with salt and olive oil.
6. Pierce with toothpicks for serving.

 Delicata

1. No peeling necessary, you can eat the skin! Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Save seeds for roasting, if you like!
2. Cut into 1/4 inch half moons. Cut these again to make bite-sized pieces.
3. Sautee in light olive oil, stirring occasionally.
4. Ready when tender (5-10 mins). Season lightly with salt.
5. Pierce with toothpicks for serving.

Red Kuri

1. No peeling necessary, you can eat the skin! Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Save for roasting, if you like!
2. Cut into 1 inch slices. Cut these slices into 1 inch chunks, or smaller.
3. Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and add squash. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add 1/4 inch of water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 10 minutes, until squash is tender.
4. Season lightly with salt.
5. Pierce with toothpicks for serving.

Sweet Dumpling

1. No peeling necessary, you can eat the skin!
2. Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Cut for roasting if you like!
3. Cut into thin slices and cut slices again into smaller bite sized pieces.
4. Coat a pan with olive oil and heat on medium. Add squash. Sautee, and stir occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
5. Season lightly with salt, and pierce with toothpicks for serving.

Spaghetti Squash

The best at-home method is in an oven.The skin is a bit tougher, but it’s not ideal to peel it before cooking. You can remove the skin once you have baked or steamed it, when it is easier to separate.

1. Add 1 inch or so of water to the bottom of a pot. Put in a steamer basket. Begin to heat on medium with a lid.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out seeds. Save for roasting, if you like!
3. Cut halves again so you have 4 quarters. Cut quarters into approx. 1-2 inch slices.
4. Add the slices to the steamer and steam for 10-20 minutes, until spaghetti texture is achieved.
5. Scoop squash out from rinds and into a bowl. Rinds are for the compost.
6. Season lightly with olive oil and salt.
7. Serve in portion cups.

This locally inspired recipe is brought to you by Pam Walker. Pam is an avid home cook, writer, and local farm and food activist who is also a board member of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. Thank you, Pam, for helping inspire us to use locally sourced ingredients!