Dan's Papers - November 7, 2008 - In the Fall, Squash Gets Serious

Winter squash, as opposed to summer squash, are the large, mature, hard shell squashes that have taken over the shelves of our farm stands, vegetable markets and supermarkets in a blaze of color. Arrange a variety of winter squash on your dining table or sideboard, such as the wide-ribbed acorn, the turban-like cap of the buttercup, the bulbous-based butternut and the globular Hubbard, and you have an exquisite still life of amusing shapes and diverse colors.

One of the most popular varieties, the small acorn squash, is often used as a side dish. Just halve, seed and bake with a bit of butter, allspice and a drizzle of maple syrup in each cavity until oven tender. Cooked butternut squash, puréed with apples, ginger and stock makes a creamy and tasty soup. When the squash is steamed until tender then mashed with butter, maple syrup and ginger, it becomes a luscious puree.

When choosing winter squash, select sturdy heavy squash with fairly glossy skin and avoid water spots, which indicate decay. While some varieties of winter squash are available all year round, fall and winter is the peak season and the best time to enjoy these varieties.

HERBED SQUASH BISQUE
The flavors of most soups benefit from a few hours to an overnight stay in the refrigerator.
Serves 8-10

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tart green apples, peeled, cored & cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
5 - 6 cups chicken stock
3/4 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons dry sherry or drizzle of pumpkin oil (optional)
Fresh crouton garnish*

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Put in squash, apple, onion and ginger and season with herbs. Cover with a square of wax paper and cook slowly over low heat stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes to sweat the vegetables. Pour on the stock; season with salt and pepper and simmer over medium heat about 25 minutes.

2. Purée soup directly in the saucepan with an immersion blender or ladle soup and vegetables in batches into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel knife or into a blender, and purée until smooth. Transfer to a clean bowl as you process each batch. Return to a rinsed saucepan and bring the purée to the edge of a boil. Add the heavy cream and stir to mix. Taste to adjust seasoning if necessary. Can be made ahead to this point.

3. Just before serving. Bring to a simmer, add sherry and stir to mix. Ladle into warm soup bowls. Garnish with fresh croutons if desired and serve hot. Freeze any unused portion.

Reprinted from Silvia Lehrer's Cooking at Cooktique, Doubleday

*Crouton garnish: Place about 4 cups cubed one or two-day-old crusty bread in a mixing bowl. Toss with 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to coat the cubes and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven about 3 minutes, turning once. Let cool and store in a waxed paper line tin. I keep cookie tins of various sizes to store croutons and pita toasts. They come in handy for soups and appetizers.

MAPLE BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE
The dense flesh of butternut squash lends itself to the technique of steaming with custard smooth results.
3-4 cups purée

2 1/2 - 3 pounds butternut squash
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Wipe squash clean. With a sharp chef's knife, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place halves in a steamer rack, flesh side down, over briskly simmering water. Cover tightly and steam for about 15-18 minutes or until very tender.

2. Remove from heat. When cool enough to handle scoop flesh into a sieve over a bowl and drain. With a rubber spatula, transfer flesh to a saucepan and mash with a potato masher to a purée. With a sturdy wooden spoon whip in the butter, maple syrup, salt, pepper and ginger and stir to mix. Spoon into a warm serving dish, sprinkle with chopped nuts, if using, and serve hot.