I peel it first with a good curved peeler like Kuhn Rikon etc.
Then cut it into slices or chunks and either nuke, roast or steam it.
I also saute it with a mirepoix and then add chicken stock etc and finally puree it for a delicious soup.
Recipe upon request!

I make soup with it after I halve it, scoop out the seeds, fill the holes with peeled quartered onions and then roast in the oven until soft. The flesh should just scoop out of the skin very easily, then you can puree it with the onions and some chicken stock and whatever spices you like.
You can also peel and microwave it to make mashed squash which you can eat as is or use as the base for things like pumpkin pie or pumpkin scones (very moist and yummy).
Roasted chunks go well with a roast dinner, skin on or off as it will come off easily enough after cooking.
Add cubes to a Morroccan curry, or make a Thai curry with pumpkin cubes, broccoli and other veges for a vegetarian dinner.

This may be my favorite way to eat butternut squash. I developed this recipe using ideas I found in various ravioli and other squash recipes.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Filling
1/2-3/4 large butternut squash, peeled,seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
lb prosciutto chopped fine
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt and pepper

Wonton Wrappers

¾ cup butter
1 ½ tbsp fresh sage

Steam squash until easily pierced with a fork.
Saute prosciutto in a bit of EVO until just warmed through.
Mash squash, and add spices, cheese, proscuitto and salt and pepper. Cool.
Drop a spoonfull of filling in the center of each wrapper, moisten edges with water, and cover with a separate wrapper.
Pinch edges together and refrigerate until needed.
Cook ravioli in boiling salted water for about 3 - 5 minutes, drain, and serve with preferred sauce.

Brown Butter Sage Sauce
3/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over med-high heat until butter turns brown.

Interestingly enough, this is what happened: frothy, clear with butterfat globs, then completely clear, then frothy, then brown under the froth. Take off heat, and whisk in 1 1/2 tbs. of fresh sage. Keep warm on low heat on back burner.

Lyra, my favorite way is to just peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, cut in quarters, remove the seeds then just chop it into pieces. Put it on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, some salt and pepper and roast it at about 350-400F until it's done.

I can make a whole meal of the stuff, I love it! It's also not so susceptible to squash vine borers, because the vine is so tough, so it's pretty easy to grow. It's sure a lot earlier than my Waltham Butternut, though, which won't be ready for at least another month.

Annie

Butternut squash is one of my favorites...it's great in soup, ravioli,roasted, mashed and sauted. Just this past weekend I had butternut squash risotto at a local restaurant...Yum

When I have a little extra time I love to make Giada De Laurentis' Butternut Squash Lasagna. It's made up of a pureed layer of squash, noodles, and then a layer of a basil sauce. Both the squash and basil puree can be made a day or two ahead and assembled with the lasagna noodles the day you plan to bake it.

I've served it as a side dish at the holidays for the past few years, and it always gets great reviews. If anyone is interested I'll dig the recipe up.

Oly

I slice it like a watermelon, maybe nuke it for a bit so it's easier to cut, then make layers of slices of squash, rutabega, onion and apple, laid like shingles in a baking dish. Dot on a little butter and salt and perhaps pepper, perhaps ginger, fresh or dried, cover and bake until soft.
If you don't like rutabega leave it out.,...or add some sweet potato...or omit the apple, ....whatever.
Take the cover off toward the end to brown a bit. Takes about an hour at 350, less in a hotter oven.
Linda c

I make a savory bread pudding using roasted & cubed butternut squash, sage, & apples that we like a lot with pork during the winter as an alternative to potatoes.

/tricia

Linda we must cook very much alike. Some of this and perhaps a some of that for a bit. I love cooking without rules, making do with what is on hand, and taking it out of the oven when it is done.

Some really great ideas from everyone! I'd never have thought of curry or ravioli. Hatching a plan for the lasagna! My oldest sister makes great lasagna so I'll have to trade her some squash and peppers for a pan. Just prompted me to give her a call. Take her and bil out for dinner tonight.

See you all soon!
lyra

One of my favorite ways of cooking butternut squash is roasting it...cutting it in chunks, mixing it with onions, garlic and perhaps herbs and/or other chunked veggies of one's choice (mushrooms, red bell peppers, potatoes, brussels sprouts -- other sturdy veggies) -- tossing the mixture with olive oil, kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper, then roasting them in a single layer on a foil-lined flat pan -- 450 degrees, until the veggies are fork-tender.

I love butternut squash. I peel it. Cut it into chunks. Boil it until it's soft and then mash it with some butter and drizzle it with maple syrup. Yum!

Here you go,Super good and super simple!

Butternut Squash Bisque

1T vegetable oil
1T butter
1/2c diced onion
3/4c diced carrot
4c peeled and cubed butternut squash
3c chicken broth
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2c heavy cream
Dash nutmeg

Heat oil and butter in large pot over medium heat, add onion and cook until tender.

Add carrots and squash to pot, pour in broth, add salt, pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Transfer to food processor and puree until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream. Heat through but do not boil. Serve warm with dash of nutmeg.

Linda

I made this soup up for Thanksgiving, 2007.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup w/apricots & coconut milk

1 c onion
1" x 1 ½" piece ginger, peeled & minced
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded, but not deveined
3 or 4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 T curry powder
1 t ground cumin
1 can chicken broth
2 cans water
1 knorr chicken bouillon cube
2 lbs peeled, seeded, butternut squash, thinly sliced
4-6 oz. Dried California apricots (not Turkish style)depending on how tart you want the soup.
1 can coconut milk
1 t cayenne (opt.) 1 t salt
1 T sugar

Saute onions over a medium-high heat with ginger, jalapeno & garlic until onions are translucent. Add curry powder & cumin, saute for a few minutes until the spices are pungent.

Add the rest of the ingredients except for the coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender. Puree soup with an emulsifier wand or blender. Add coconut milk, adjust seasonings, and bring back to serving heat.

This soup is good served hot or cold. Garnishes might be toasted, chopped nuts, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced green onions, toasted, grated coconut or raisin bread croutons.

And this was something I came up with when booking catering jobs. A client wanted a "fall" theme to the foods, and had some vegetarian guests coming to her event. She was concerned that they have some interesting dishes to choose from, and would leave feeling like they had an actual meal rather than just "making do" with whatever side dishes they were able to eat. Our chef wasn't exactly familiar with vegetarian foods, but was open to suggestions.

Mixed grain salad with roasted butternut squash

A mixture of grainstry to use at least 3 kinds, of different colors. I use varying combinations of basmati rice, long grain brown rice*, barley, bulgar (tabuleh), quinoa, wild rice, millet, and sometimes, to lighten the texture, I add couscous.

Onions, celery, carrots-chopped

Green peas (frozen are fineif you have fresh, blanch them first)

Roasted butternut squash cubes**

Cranberry vinaigrette***

Chopped parsley & green onions

Chopped, toasted nuts (I like pecans or hazelnuts)

Cook grain selections separately, according to directions, but remember that they will absorb dressing and soften, so a bit al dente is better than over cooked.

Saute onions, celery, carrots until tender, but not too soft. Toss with grains, parsley, green onions and vinaigrette. Gently fold butternut squash cubes in.

*Short grain rices are too sticky for this dish, in my opinion.

**Roasted butternut squash. Peel squash. Cut into ½ inch cubes. toss in olive oil and roast in the oven, checking frequently until just cooked, but not mushy. If it doesnt brown at all, pass under a broiler after cooking just to brown the edges a bit.

***Cranberry vinaigrette. Make a basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine or champagne vinegar, garlic & onion powders, salt & pepper. Put the vinaigrette in a blender with about 3/4 Tablespoon dried cranberries per cup vinaigrette, and puree until smooth. Then, add about a quarter cup of dried cranberries for every cup vinaigrette, and pulse blender until cranberries are chopped, but not pureed. Let vinaigrette sit over night.

Before tossing the grain salad in the dressing, taste the vinaigrette for sweetness and add a bit of sugar if need be. It shouldnt be too tart or too sweet.

Sprinkle the toasted chopped nuts on top and garnish with sprigs of parsley, green onion tassels or carrot curls and a few whole dried cranberries.

Thanks for the recipes. I planted Butternut this year.

Here are a couple more:

4 Servings -

1 TBS olive oil
1 1/4 lbs butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 medium leek, trimmed
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 medium carrot
1/2 TBS fresh grated ginger
1/2 TBS fresh chopped thyme
1/2 teasp dried sage
1 small apple, peeled and cored
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 - 15oz can cannellini beans
chopped fresh chives
sea salt and FG black pepper

1. Chop the leeks, using only the white and light green parts. Dice the butternut squash, carrot and apple into 1/2 inch cubes.

2. Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a large saucepan, then add the squash, leeks, onion, carrot, ginger, thyme and sage.

3. Pour in the stock and apple juice and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

4. Pour half the soup into a blender or food processor (I used a stick blender) and puree (purée) until smooth. Return the puree (purée) to the saucepan, add the beans and cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat until hot and bubbling. Adjust seasoning and serve sprinkled with the chopped chives.

Source: Adapted from - Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green-light Cookbook
************************************************

6 - 8 servings (My own recipe. I always make too much!)

1 1/2 lbs butternut squash - after baking there should be about 2 cups of mashed squash
1 lg Spanish onion - peeled and cut into 8 chunks
1 medium leek - washed & chopped, including best-looking top green leaves
1 teasp cumin
1 head of garlic - sliced across top to expose cloves
2 - 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
200 ml (about 3/4 cup) light cream or half & half
olive oil
fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste
homemade garlic croutons (optional) & chopped flat leaf parsley

Utensils needed: oven or toaster oven and roasting pan or tray, frying pan & lid, blender or food processor, large heavy saucepan with lid.

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 300F

2. Split, quarter and seed butternut squash, and arrange on roasting tray together with cut chunks of onion and head of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast 1 hr or until all is golden and tender, including garlic.

3. Clean and chop leek, including top green leaves. Sauté in a little oil for in frying pan 5 minutes. Then add 2 cups of chicken broth, turn down to simmer with lid on until tender - about 12 - 15 minutes.

4. When butternut etc is cooked, scrape it from skin and place in food processor along with the onion, cumin, and some pepper.
Squeeze the garlic cloves - which should be soft and buttery - from their skins and add to food processor.

5. Add some of the rest of the chicken broth and process to a puré. Gradually add the leek and liquid from pan. Process until all is smooth, adding more of the chicken broth as needed.

6. Place the mixture in the saucepan and gently heat. Add the rest of the broth as needed for the desired consistency..
Add the cream, reserving 2 TBS for swirling as a garnish when served. Check the seasoning - adding salt and pepper as needed.

7. Serve with a swirl of cream, chopped parsley and small homemade garlic-flavoured croutons.

*****************************************

Otherwise I just cut it in chunks with the peel on, drizzle it with olive oil and dried thyme and put it in the oven until it's cooked.

SharonCb

No Recipes to add - but I'm cop0ying some to try!

What's "three sisters" gardening? My garden right now is an embarrassing mess. I'm afraid to even begin weeding, I think they've been out there too long with the poison ivy and have been plotting against me!

AM
The Dinner Chronicles

Three Sisters is a traditional gardening method used by some native americans. Corn, beans, and squash are planted together. Corn provides a bean pole for the beans to climb. Beans provide nitrogen for fertilizer. Squash makes a thorny ground cover that inhibits weed growth with its huge leaves. I noticed with the butternut vine I have that moisture collects under them which would help my dry hilltop garden. I might have to experiment with a patch of christmas trees. Most die-off is in the first year from lack of moisture. If it eliminates mowing I could be in for the first squash/christmas tree farm in the area. Perhaps a pick-your-squash like the blueberry farm does. Customers would also get a nice look at "their tree"?

While I know it is an Indian style of gardening I can't get the MacBeth sisters out of my head. Picture them dancing around the corn stalks. Yeah... I'm nuts.

: )
lyra

My favourite way is just peeled, cubed, sprinkled with Olive Oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven.

I've also made the lasagna and it's good, very good but different.

I have a recipe at home for a fabulous casserole (think it's Fearlessem's recipe, can't recall for sure). Really, really good but a dish you would make for a family holiday dinner or pot luck......makes a ton and is so delicious. If anyone is interested I'll post it tomorrow when I'm home.

I'm really lazy so I don't peel mine.
Wash the outside and stick the whole darned thing on a cookie sheet or in a roasting pan and cook for about 1-2 hours at 350 (depending on size).
When it's nice and soft, cut in half, scoop out seeds.
From here, you can scoop out flesh into a bowl and season with your choice of spices, butter, etc. Sweet or savory works. You can leave it in the skin, add seasonings and pop it back in the oven to melt butter, brown sugar or crisp a little.
You can puree and make soup.
You can scoop the flesh out and freeze it.
You can sub it for pumpkin in pies, cakes, breads and cookies.

In the fall, you can "prep" several at a time.

I hate, hate, hate trying to peel the darned things.

Deanna

My mother boiled butternut....and then mashed the watery stuff and piled it into a dish! EWWW!
This thread is about butternut...but there are lots and lots of winter squashes that can be cooked in a similar way..acorn, buttercup, hubbard and more I am sure...all wonderful.
I love pumpkin soup....made with butternut, of course....but pureed pumpkin in a can is very convenient.
have never tried roasting cubes of the squash so it's browned before making soup....but I'll bet its' yummy!
Linda C

Michael, I do a shortened version, Two Sisters, I suppose. As did my ancestors before me, I always plant my squash with the corn. Adding the beans, though, makes it too darned hard to pick them, between fighting with the cornstalks and trying not to step on the squash! Yeah, I know, Great-Grandma would be shaking her head. She used to tell me "it's not the blood in your veins, child, it's the spirit in your soul that makes you Native American".

And now I can't get MacBeth shaken out of my head, LOL.

Annie