It's late November and I've eaten more squash in the past 3 months than I thought possible. As you can see, I am not discrimating, and I represented all of these squashes in the above paining. However, after careful consideration I have determined my favorite: delicata. Delicata squash is small and tubular, with green stripes down the sides that turn orange as it ripens. It bakes quickly and has a very soft and, well delicate, texture. The flavor is nutty and sweeter than acorn or dumpling squash. You can eat the rinds! AND save and toast your seeds! For an easy addition to salads, or as a side in its own right, cut the squash in rings, scooping out the seeds, coat with olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper and--possibly-thyme and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
My favorite use for this squash was in a warm layered salad of roasted beet slices, matchsticks of kohlrabi, lemon balm sprigs, and parmesan shavings. Did I add walnuts or pomegranate seeds? I can't remember, but I should have. A simple lemon juice and oil dressing. Everyone's a food blogger these days, so I won't even try to bring you high quality food photos. Use your imagination--
I also wanted to comment on seeds. You can easily toast seeds from many varieties of squash (not just pumpkin.) Soak your seeds in salt-water overnight, then let them dry and toast them on a greased baking sheet.
I've been thinking a lot about seeds lately. I could try to collect my thoughts. Maybe an essay would result? Probably not. Here is a detail of a recent paining of some Butternut Squash Seeds on my old veneer table:
Thanks for this inspiration, Laura! I love the paintings... especially the seeds. And I am intrigued by delicata now-- I'd never heard of it. You've inspired me to try it!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I baked squash for the first time last weekend to lessen my squash abundance, and it was only so-so. I was a little heavy on the brown sugar, but I should have just added a pinch to each one rather than the teaspoon that I did add. Your painting is marvelous. Thanks for sharing. Up next: the definition of kohlrabi.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I would personally love to hear your musings on kohlrabi. It's your kind of vegetable.
ReplyDeleteYour delicata is lovely, Laura! What kind of squash is the one in the bottom right corner? And the seed painting is so intriguing. It's a detail of another? I'd love to see the whole thing. Or more seed paintings...!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I too would like to hear more on the subject of kohlrabi!
Kate, thanks! It feels very still-life-painting-1 to me, but whatever. Making art is hard.
ReplyDeleteThe other squash is a Sweet Dumpling. Very tasty. It might require another blog post. Maybe.
Well, actually, I've been thinking about this, and the squash in the corner may have been a Carnival squash. When one is bombarded with such a bountiful array of squashes, it can be difficult to keep the less common varieties sorted out in one's mind. So much squash.
ReplyDelete