The doldrums of winter aren’t the best time to be a produce obsessive, but fall and winter offer some powerhouse ingredients that can ease the pangs of longing for summer’s bounty. Perhaps most versatile of all is that prince of winter produce, butternut squash). Equally as delicious in savory and sweet applications, butternut squash packs richly sweet, vegetal flavor in its creamy-dense flesh, along with lots of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Read on for more butternut squash ideas and a butternut squash bread recipe.

 

 

A classic for a reason, butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter is simple and filling, perfect for a winter evening. The Garden Of Eating's recipe adds pine nuts to the topping and includes a detailed tutorial on making the pasta, but for a weeknight dinner, I like to use the old trick of using premade wonton wrappers instead of homemade dough. The ravioli aren’t quite as nice as the handmade kind, of course, but it’s quick and quite easy —just make sure your wonton wrappers are well-thawed, place a small scoop of filling on one wrapper, leaving at least ¾” or so around for sealing, moisten the edges, top with another wrapper, and press to seal with a fork or your fingers.

 

 

Butternut squash’s sweetness makes it a great foil for heat in savory applications, as in the spicy, rich (and addictive!) dip of roasted squash, pumpkin, goat cheese, and walnuts made by NYC-based company Kors Doeuvres, or this simple curried soup from caterer Holly Hadsell, which is garnished beautifully with a sweet-hot caramelized apple slice.

 

Mashed roasted butternut squash is a versatile ingredient to have at hand, and it freezes wonderfully, with no detectable loss of flavor or texture. To roast, break off the stem or cut off the stem end, cut the squash in half with a sharp, heavy knife (this is easiest to do with the squash standing vertically on your cutting board, rather than laying it down), and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the squash halves cut-side down in a baking dish or cookie sheet, and add water to fill the pan about ¼”. Roast at 375˚ until a fork goes through the skin and flesh easily; cooking time varies widely with the size of your squash, but it will generally take around 45 minutes or more. Allow the roasted squash to cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins, and mash with a fork to store or serve.

 

Mashed roasted squash makes a great snack or breakfast mixed with dried coconut flakes and a little agave or maple syrup; or, for dessert, fill ramekins with the squash flesh mashed with butter, top with chopped walnuts and sucanat or brown sugar, and broil until the topping caramelizes.

 

But perhaps my favorite use for mashed roasted butternut squash is in any dessert or baked treat—pie, cookies, muffins—where it can be substituted directly for canned pumpkin in any recipe, for a great boost in flavor and nutrition. Dense, sweet butternut squash is a better substitute even than roasted pumpkin, which can be watery and stringy. This butternut squash bread is fragrant, moist, and at its best a day after baking, when the spices have had the chance to develop—though it’s impossible to resist cutting a slice the moment it comes out of the oven!

 

Butternut Squash Bread

You may balk at the price of coconut oil, but it really makes the texture of the bread: if you must, substitute melted butter, but do not use canola or vegetable oil, which will give the bread an unpleasant greasiness. You can easily use 100% white flour, but the whole wheat lends a nice nuttiness; 100% whole wheat or whole spelt flour will work too, but the bread will be denser. Agave nectar can be substituted for sucanat (it's evaporated sugar cane juice, and available at Whole Foods or other health food stores); use ¾ cup agave + 2 tablespoons molasses, and reduce squash to ¾ cup.

 

Makes 1 loaf

 

Ingredients:

1.5 cups sucanat (or use brown sugar)

½ cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 cup mashed roasted butternut squash

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

 

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease an 8” loaf pan thoroughly with coconut oil. 

 

In a large bowl, mix sucanat and melted coconut oil with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixed; add eggs and squash and mix until well-blended.

 

In a medium bowl, sift together flours, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; whisk to combine.

 

Stir dry ingredients into wet in two additions, mixing just until thoroughly blended and scraping sides and bottom of bowl well with rubber spatula; stir in pecans.

 

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until tester inserted into center of loaf has a few moist crumbs, about 40-50 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edges of the loaf to release and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.