The Forgotten Fruit (A post by Molly)

This morning I had spaghetti squash for breakfast. While spaghetti is never an unusual breakfast for me, I thought I’d use this opportunity to shine a little light on the forgotten fruit. Long has squash been the laughing stock of the farmer’s stand, second only in uselessness to Indian corn, forced to sit through an endless Thanksgiving meal watching longingly from the painfully named “Horn of Plenty” while the real dishes disappear, never shaking the double entendre of its name. Well, the cornucopia stops here.

It’s time to knock the pumpkin down a vine. It’s taken over our society, you can’t turn the corner without seeing a sign for a pumpkin spiced latte. Newsflash: that coffee is about as much pumpkin as it is tomato. Sure a pumpkin pie is good, but that’s not saying much. Mincemeat makes a good pie too. About the only leg up pumpkins have on their fellows gourds is their hollow-headedness. This characteristic seems to make great jack-o-lanterns and even better celebrities.

Over the past week I’ve discovered the unappreciated wonder of the forgotten fruit. Winter squash, stunted by its pretty exterior, roasts into a sweet vessel. Butternut squash, trapped in the confines of the ravioli, makes a hearty soup on a cold day. Spaghetti squash, long thought to only make one thing… still only makes one thing, but it’s darn good at it. It’s time to squash the suppression. It’s time to squash monopoly. America, it’s time to squash. I’m ready, are you?

Squash Soup

1 butternut squash (cut width wise)

4 winter squash

Brown Sugar

Butter

1 cup chicken broth

1½ cups milk

¼ cup butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400^o. Cut each squash length wise and scoop out the seeds. Rub the insides off each squash lightly with butter and brown sugar.
2. On a greased cookie sheet lay squash with the inside facing down. Bake for 40 minutes or until the meat is soft.
3. Let cool, and scoop squash meat into a pot. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender/food processor) blend squash.
4. Place over medium heat. Stir in butter once simmering. Add spices and serve.

Stuffed Squash

1 winter squash

Butter

Brown Sugar

¼ cup spinach (de-stemmed and chopped)

¼ cup feta cheese

¼ cup pecans (chopped)

¼ cup dried cherries

1 clove garlic (minced)

1. Before preparing filling, preheat oven to 400⁰. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and rub lightly with butter and brown sugar. Place face down on a cookie sheet and place in oven.
2. Prepare your filling ingredients and mix together thoroughly in a bowl.
3. Carefully remove squash from oven and flip over. Fill the cavity left by the seeds, and cover each squash half in aluminum foil (leave face up).
4. Return to the oven and continue cooking. The squash should cook a total of 30-35 minutes.
5. Remove foil and enjoy.

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