Butternut squash

Nannyp · Butternut squash

I have never tasted this before. Thanks to Jo, I am growing some this year, and have already harvested half a dozen. You're meant to harden them off in the sun so that they last through the winter. I am doing that, but have brought one in for todays dinner. I'm going to roast it, as I want to see how it tastes. Looking forward to it. I love eating stuff I've grown

MissMuppet

Have you eaten it yet?? These and sweet potatoes are my favourite alternatives to potatoes...

I might grow some next year!

Nannyp

Don't be silly...we've only just had breakfast q21

Nannyp

Still cooking the rest of the dinner....but have had a taste. I suspect it needs to be riper. It was pretty tasteless. Roasted in oil and I added pepper...will add some salt when I serve mine.

dingsy

I find squash a bit tasteless too-maybe it has a high water content, as when I roast it, it's usually soggy. It's ok in soup though.

Nannyp

Yep, will make soup too

caprice62

I toss mine in oil and cajun type spices ,garlic, onions and add other veg as well even crumbling a stock cube over them is a quick taste fix and pre rosting before soup makes them tastier but I then fry up my onions etc in butter and not oil for a creamier taste before adding the roasted veg

Nannyp

I will definitely be sprucing them up next time...just wanted to taste them in the flesh, so to speak

caprice62

mm perhaps you had better not " rost " them though

much better roasted !!!! I have just done a load and popped them into tinfoil for a barbie tonight, we have a cobb barbie and I wrap everything in parcels to barbie (tonights is on the boat ) and when I say boat I don't mean a poss jobby its just one of the green plasticcy type ones q21

........... anyway back to the barbie .............. as we are pootling down the river the faithful cobb will be cooking the parcels and when we land at the picnic site it will all be nearly cooked (I hope !!!) its roasted veggies (in cajun spices) chicken in a tarragon, vermouth and cream sauce, buttered chicken for the vol au vents stuffing , pork with peppers ,onions and loads of garlic for the wraps , pots in butter and garlic and pots in indian type spices and then strawberry and brioche kebabs to finish !!! just off to the arab market near Dunquerque to get the straws problwem then is not to eat them all until tonight q21

MissMuppet

Sounds like a lovely BBQ, wish the weather was ok to have one here...

Nannyp

Blimey, that sounds busy and complicated.....what's a cobb?

caprice62

nahhh not complicated at all honest !! and a cobb oven is brilliant you only need about 8 barbie coals to run it so its great for picnics and because its a cool wall type thing its brilliant for the boat or picnics because you can just pack it back in its bag and put it in the boot the hairy bikers apparently have done a series with theirs but I have only just got a tv here so will have to wait until; there is a series catch up !!!

it was a great success by the way am just having a congratulatory glass of wine !!! Tarragon cream sauce is a brilliant quickie that I also serve with moulles or fish

gently fry finely chopped onions in butter add as much garlic as you want throw in a glass of vermouth and tarragon cook off the alcohol add cram or creme fraiche add seasoning and tweak the sauce if it needs it (more tarr or vermouth etc ) if its bitter just add a little sugar
if you are doing it with chicken fry the chicken in the butter first but with fish or moulles I just poach them in the sauce
and for the vols I cheated and bought the ready made ones when we got there I just put the chicken in the vols in a tinfoil container and barbied
buttered chicken just marinaded overnioght and the chicken peppers is another cheaty quickie of mine

fry up finely sliced onions add garlic
thinly slice up some chiken breast or pork loin chops and cook in onions
add frozen peppers (cheat!!)
sweet pepper puree (tom will do)
paprika and s and p
slake with a little stock
great in jacket pots ,with rice or wraps etc

Nannyp

I have loads of BS this year, 12 at least in store and 2 or 3 still growing.

Determined to make more than soup with them.

Will bake one later, with loads of spicing up. May try Hugh Furiously Eatsitall's recipe for stuff BS tomorrow. Can't buy Feta is the problem, so will have to use Mozzarella (I think is what I substituted before).

There is also a recipe of his for a sort of cake, not sure it is regime though, so may or may not.

dingsy

Baked's by far my favourite, although soup is good too.

Nannyp

Well, I used a Winter squash, as it needed using, not a good specimin for keeping.

I was surprised at the depth of colour, deep orange like a pumpkin, somehow I thought it would be paler.

I peeled and sliced, put on some olive oil, lots of garlic and some spice from morocco (which turned out to be HOT!!).

Baked for 30 mins, turning every so often, inn a hot oven. Had it with left over risotto, and it was very good. A little too hot for me, but Mark really enjoyed it.

Now making curry sauce for another day or 3

Nannyp

Thank you Hugh