THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409080052
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By BETTY DOUGLASS, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
SUMMER'S WANE doesn't have to spell the end of a diet long on fresh vegetables. Fall and winter also produce garden gems you can turn into healthful, tasty meals.
Consider winter squash, which grows in a riot of shapes, colors, flavors and sizes. All are good-tasting, versatile and rich in vitamins.
These members of the gourd family include acorn, butternut, Hubbard, spaghetti and turban squash, as well as pumpkins.
Unlike summer squash - zucchini, crookneck and pattypan - winter squash have hard, thick seeds and skin, says Sharon Tyler Herbst in ``Food Lover's Companion (Barron's, 1990). Indigenous to the New World, they were regulars on the menus of native North and Central Americans.
Though shapes and textures vary, winter squash are interchangeable in most recipes.
They contain even more vitamin A than do summer squash, Herbst says. And they are sources of iron, riboflavin and vitamin C.
When shopping, choose squash that are heavy for their size, with hard, deep-colored rinds. They should be free of blemishes and mold, Herbst says.
Winter squash also keep better than the summer variety. Store them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated space for up to a month or more.
Here's a look at what you'll find at farmstands in and most markets, along with some of my favorite recipes. Though some winter squash are available all year, they are at their best from early fall through winter, Herbst says.
Acorn - A dark green, ribbed vegetable with orange splashes, acorn squash is rounded and medium-sized and resembles an acorn. It has a mild, sweet flavor. It can be halved, seeded, baked and eaten from the shell.
Buttercup - A small, slightly rounded, dark green squash topped by a small blue-gray ``turban.'' It has a sweet-potato flavor.
Butternut - A larger, bell- or pear-shaped squash, with a tan shell and orange flesh. It has a creamy texture and smooth, sweet, nutty flavor.
Hubbard - A large, pebble-shelled squash that's sweet and creamy when cooked. Its color ranges from golden to blue-gray to green.
You can quick-cook whole Hubbard squash in the microwave until soft; they will cut more easily. Serve them in small pieces. Or bake and halve them, scrape out the flesh and mash or puree it.
Pumpkin - Available in sizes from miniature to pie to giant. The smaller, pie pumpkins have the best flavor for cooking. Delicious added to autumn soups and stews.
Spaghetti - An oval-shaped, creamy yellow squash with stringy, mild-flavored flesh that separates into strands when cooked. It has little squash flavor but makes a wonderful pasta substitute when steamed.
Sweet dumpling - A small, pumpkin-shaped squash with green and gray stripes. It has a sweet, orange-yellow flesh.
Turban - A bumpy-shelled, bright orange, yellow and green squash of varying sizes. It is round and topped by three knobs, or a ``turban.'' Buttercup (see above) is one variety. Turban squash have a hearty, full flavor.
You can use the microwave with most of the following recipes. Just slice the squash into halves or chunks and remove its seeds. Place on a microwave-safe dish with a touch of water. Then cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until tender.
For whole spaghetti or acorn squash, pierce several times, making deep gashes to vent before microwaving. Allow to cool for 3 or 4 minutes before cutting in half and scooping out the seeds. MEMO: Betty Douglass is a free-lance food writer and home economist in
Portsmouth. All recipes in this article have been kitchen-tested by the
author.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
Winter squashes include turban, right; and, below, Cushaw, butternut
and Hubbard.
by CNB