Have You Misplaced Fights to Butternut Squashes? Here is The way to Reduce Them So That By no means Occurs Once more

For some, the beginning of soccer and hockey season marks the transition from summer time to fall. For me, it is the butternut squash I’ve taken residence from the market. Of all of the winter squashes, butternut is without doubt one of the most typical and likewise one of the vital versatile. It is agency sufficient to carry its form in some dishes, but purées superbly in others. It has sufficient sweetness and taste to be very interesting, however not a lot that it tastes like dessert.

I had some enjoyable enjoying with butternut squash for the stress cooker risotto recipe I developed not too long ago, however slicing it up into all totally different sizes jogged my memory that its firmness and odd form could make it a harder vegetable to organize than many others.

Purchasing and Storage

As a result of they’re arduous to the contact and lined in a thick, sturdy pores and skin, the artwork of gauging the ripeness of a butternut squash comes right down to some delicate clues. First, you need to choose squash which might be freed from any punctures or floor wounds, since a compromised pores and skin can result in rotten spots fairly rapidly. Past that, search for squash that really feel heavy for his or her measurement, and keep away from any which have a greenish forged to their beige pores and skin.

I’ve by no means put squash to the forms of checks I subjected tomatoes to over the summer time, however I’ve all the time discovered that they do very properly at room temperature, which can be how I normally discover them saved at supermarkets. You possibly can thank that thick pores and skin—it is liable for their shelf stability by offering an extremely efficient protecting layer that traps in moisture and retains out microorganisms.

At root-cellar temperatures (round 55°F/13°C or so), butternut squash can preserve for a number of months. In heated houses, you are protected holding them at room temperature for a lot of days and probably weeks, although I am unable to consider motive to seek out out simply what number of weeks a squash will maintain up in your counter earlier than it begins to interrupt down—eat it, that is why it is there.

Once you’re able to prepare dinner a butternut, simply give it a rinse to scrub off any floor grime, and also you’re all set.

Butternut Butchery: The way to Reduce Up a Butternut Squash

The Proper Knife

Step one is ensuring you’ve the fitting instruments. As with most cooking duties, the primary factor that makes slicing up butternut squash tough isn’t having knife accessible. Due to the squash’s firmness and thick pores and skin, I’ve all the time discovered that smaller, lighter-weight knives make the job harder. As an alternative, I attain for a knife that is not simply sharp, but additionally has some weight to it—that heft will do among the work for me.

A (roughly) 10-inch chef’s knife, just like the one right here, will do the trick.

If there is not a hefty knife round, the following one I will seize is a serrated knife: These tooth on the blade will make up for no matter mass the knife itself lacks. As Kenji has identified in his personal writings on knives, a serrated (a.okay.a. bread) knife needn’t be an costly buy. They don’t seem to be straightforward to sharpen, so you may have to switch them every now and then.

As I will present under, I typically peel my squash with no matter knife I am utilizing, however a peeler will be helpful, too. And after I use a peeler, I am actually solely curious about one form: a razor-sharp Y-peeler. If you happen to’re not used to utilizing one, it may well appear awkward and tough at first, however with just a little observe, I doubt you may return to the opposite form. I do not assume I’ve ever seen knowledgeable chef use something however one among these.

You will additionally want a spoon for eradicating the seeds.

Reduce Off the Stem Finish

The very first thing I do is minimize proper under the stem of the squash to take away it.

Reduce Off the Blossom Finish

Subsequent, I rotate the squash and slice off the very backside of the opposite, extra bulbous finish, the place the flower as soon as grew on the fruit (it isn’t anatomically correct, however let’s name it the stomach button). I strive to not minimize off an excessive amount of right here, erring on the facet of not fairly getting sufficient of that stomach button on my first move—if I have to take extra off, I can all the time minimize once more. As soon as I’ve totally eliminated that backside stomach button, I am good to go.

Divide in Half Widthwise

Butternut squash has two sections: The highest part on the stem-end facet is narrower and full of stable flesh. The extra bulbous part on the flower finish (the place that stomach button was) is hole and comprises the seeds.

I line the knife up proper the place the slender part meets the bulbous part and cut up the squash in half there.

You need to now have two sections of squash: the highest portion and the bulbous seed part.

Peel

When you’ve got a peeler, go forward and strip the pores and skin off with it. You need to peel right down to the orange flesh, slicing away any white or light-colored flesh immediately under the pores and skin, in addition to any inexperienced veins that run lengthwise underneath the pores and skin.

If you happen to’re not utilizing a peeler, set every part of squash on a flat finish and slice round it, with both a pointy knife or a serrated blade (my photographs right here present each) to take away the pores and skin.

Additionally, can we cease and admire my freakishly double-jointed thumb within the photograph above?

Repeat the peeling for each the highest part and the bulbous seed part of the squash.

Break up the Seed Part

Subsequent, I stand the seed part on a flat facet and slice it in half lengthwise.

Take away the Seeds

Utilizing a spoon, I scrape out the seeds and any of the fibrous flesh that is connected to them.

If you happen to prefer to eat pumpkin seeds, do not throw these away: They are often toasted and loved as a snack. (I am not so loopy about pumpkin seeds, so I normally toss ‘em.)

Slice and Cube the Seed Part

I take every hollowed seed part half, set it hole facet down on the slicing board, and slice it lengthwise into sections. You possibly can go as skinny or as thick as you need right here—that can decide the scale of your items. You possibly can prepare dinner these curved slices as they’re, or cube them.

To cube them, simply minimize every slice into chunks of your required measurement. As a result of these curved items of squash will not be completely common in form, you will not get good cubes right here, however that is okay. Nature would not develop too many issues with flawless proper angles.

Slice and Cube the Prime Part

If the highest part of the squash is especially lengthy, I will cut up it in half widthwise to make it extra manageable.

Then I stand it on finish and slice down in even intervals to type slabs. Right here, I am doing a roughly three-quarter-inch cube, so that is the width of every of my slabs. You possibly can go thicker or thinner, relying in your particular want.

As soon as I’ve minimize it into slabs, I cross-cut these slabs into batons.

Then I rotate these batons and minimize them into cube.

Alternate Reduce: Circles

The highest part of the squash will also be sliced into rounds.

To take action, I flip it on its facet and slice via it widthwise.

Once more, you may go as thick or as skinny as you need right here.

Take Two: Small Cube

If you’d like smaller cube, all it is advisable do is make thinner cuts on each the seed finish and the stem finish. Right here, I am demonstrating on the stem finish.

Begin with the stem part of the squash on its finish, and minimize down via it lengthwise, making your slices a lot nearer collectively.

Then slice these thinner slabs into a lot thinner matchsticks.

And cross-cut these matchsticks into tiny cubes. These are roughly an eighth of an inch. Aren’t they cute?

October 2014