Wanted...New England "chefs"

[Melman]

I finally made it to New England on my vacation just last week. For the quick run-through...I got my long-awaited wild Maine blueberries and have a beautiful batch of jam sitting in my kitchen, made it to Stonewall Kitchens (THANK YOU to whomever suggested this! WOW!!), finally got to eat a Maine lobster after waiting 12 years since the last one, and got to eat more wonderful seafood in a week's time than I thought possible. I LOVE New England!!

Now....question for the cooks in that general area. We ate lunch at Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. I had eaten there YEARS ago when I still worked for DEC. It took at while, but we finally found it. The lunch was WONDERFUL....it was actually one of the best meals we had the whole week!!! A side dish served with my meal was butternut squash. Trust me...you do NOT find butternut squach on the typical menu in the south!!! :-) I think I can honestly say I've never been served that even at the home of family or friends.

It was "creamed/mashed/whatever" and it looked very much like mashed or whipped potatoes would look...but orange-colored. VERY smooth. I KNOW it had nutmeg in it. I checked a couple of websites and keep coming across the squash with ginger!! I just can't say I remember there being ginger in it at all.

Anyone have any butternut squash skills?? I feel certain it was probably rather simple ingredients...probably not much more than making mashed potatoes. I really want to make this. My son loved it!

By the way...I realize I shouldn't post this just for our NE participants...ANYONE who knows how to cook this, please feel free to include a recipe!! Even though *I* think NE has dibs on the best seafood in the country, I guess they very likely aren't the only people who cook butternut squash. ;-)
Thanks so much!!!!

[BosunsWife]

We ate it a lot when we lived in New England and also where I was raised in Washington State (dad grew it in the garden).

I always just baked it and then mashed it with butter and salt and pepper. I guess you could also puree it with a boat motor or in a food processor if you really wanted it extra smooth.

Ughh. When I was a kid, my mom would bake acorn squash and put butter and brown sugar in it. It was so nasty it turned me off of acorn squash for a long time.

[memartha]

When I worked in a kitchen in Cambridge, MA, we used to puree butternut squash for a side dish at Thanksgiving time, as well as for a soup. For both, we purchased already peeled butternut squash (don't know if you have that where you are) and chopped it into large pieces (2-3 inches?). For the side dish, we boiled it just until tender in water; for the soup, we did the same but in chicken stock. If making the side dish, drain the squash pretty well and place in blender or food processor, add butter, salt, pepper and spices (you like nutmeg) to taste and puree until it's the consistency you want. You may want to add some liquid like chicken stock, water, cream. For the soup, we pureed the squash and the stock, then added seasonings. Good luck!

[Kalna]

Hi,
I live in Vermont and squash is on our table 3 times a week in the fall and winter. Butternut squash which is tan in color and shaped like a bell is often peeled, cut into cubes and boiled until soft, drain well and smash like potatoes, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg or ginger.
I don't care for it baked.

Buttercup squash like a bit like acron squash - it is round with wart like marks on the skin. This squash is hard to peel. I cut it up into chunks with a heavy knife and steam with the skin on until soft. Let cool to handle and use a spoon to remove the cooked squash- smash, season and add a little butter. This is a drier squash that I like very much. I don't bake this squash

Both of the above cooked squash freezes very well.

Acorn squash I like to bake in the oven with maple syrup and butter. It also can be nuked.

Hope this helps,

Carolyn

[SQ]

I cook mine in the microwave and then either smash or food process it. I like it au natural, but my mother often purees it w/a bit of oj and cinammon. Enjoy!

[Alisa]

Butternut squash is a staple here in Nova Scotia and I prepare it in many different ways. My favorite is to mash it with butter and honey mustard - sometimes I put bread crumbs on top and bake it as well.

[Melman]

YUMM!! All these options sound fairly similar but with a little bit of variation. I can't wait to try copying the dish I had last week. I had to laugh at the comment of buying already peeled squash...if I can even find butternut squash down here, that will be amazing in itself!! :-) Actually, I'm sure I can find it...but definitely not in a quick-preparation format. Is it tough to peel it??? I'm thinking almost like a pumpkin???

Thanks for all the suggestions!!!!

[tracey67]

Melman - your trip sounds wonderful. I actually live about a 1/2 a mile from the Wayside Inn. It's unfortunate that the Grist Mill is still being repaired. Did you happen to notice it - it's just a few yard down the road from the Inn? Normally there's a beautiful waterfall going, but the torrential rains this spring caused a lot of flooding and damage and it's been out of commission for several months.

Did you know that the Wayside Inn sells a cookbook of recipes? I personally don't have it, but if you're interested in it, I can get more information. I'm going to add to your growing collection of recipes with a few of my own (well...Epicurious' really :D ) The first one (the one with breadcrumbs) is SO good. I know it's not pureed like you asked, but I think you'll still enjoy it. I was lucky that a friend of mine served this to me for dinner one night. I had just seen the recipe in BA, but for whatever reason, I would have never made it on my own. WELL...after I had it at her house that night, I ran home and bought some squash to make it AGAIN the following night - it's THAT good!

Also...about peeling the squash - yes, it can be a bit difficult and time-consuming. When you're pureeing it, many recipes call for you to peel it and then steam it - but I've found that it comes out just as well if you roast it (unpeeled - just cut in half, seeds scooped out) in the oven and then spoon the cooked squash into your food processor or blender to puree - this will save you the hassle of peeling.

So without further rambling...here are a few more twists on the ole butternut squash...

tracey

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH ROSEMARY BREADCRUMBS

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups thinly sliced onions (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from soft white bread
2 cups (packed) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until onions are light golden, about 8 minutes. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes. Sprinkle sugar, salt and pepper over vegetables; sauté until onions and squash begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

Spread vegetable mixture in prepared dish. Pour chicken broth over. Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. (Squash mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat in 350°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.)

Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, rosemary and thyme in medium bowl. Sprinkle over gratin. Bake uncovered until top is golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes.

Makes 10 servings.
Bon Appétit
November 2000


MAPLE SQUASH PUREE

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

In a steamer set over boiling water steam the squash, covered, for 15 minutes, or until it is very tender. Reserve the steaming liquid and in a food processor purée the squash with the butter, the maple syrup, and enough of the reserved steaming liquid to reach the desired consistency. Season the squash purée with salt and pepper. The squash purée may be made 3 days in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated, adding additional water as needed.

Serves 8.
Gourmet
November 1993



SPICED SQUASH AND MAPLE PUREE

The sap of maple trees was being used by Native Americans when the very earliest European immigrants arrived. Then it was an all-purpose seasoning, like salt, enlivening the austere diet. Now, with the refinement achieved by boiling and concentrating the flavor of the sap, maple syrup is a uniquely American sweetener. Here it adds just the right subtle note to a colorful puree of butternut squash.
2 medium butternut or acorn squash (about 3 1/2 pounds), halved, seeded


1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup canned chicken broth
1/3 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place squash halves, cut side up, on large baking sheet. bake until very tender, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Using large spoon, scoop out squash flesh and transfer to large bowl.

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion and ground nutmeg and sauté until onion is tender and light brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with squash. Add chicken broth and maple syrup. Puree mixture in batches in processor until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Season squash puree with salt and pepper. Return puree to same saucepan. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Stir puree over medium heat until heated through. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Serves 6.
Bon Appétit
November 1995

[Melman]

Oh my! Those recipes sound awesome!!! I'm even very glad to say I have a bottle of WONDERFUL Vermont maple syrup that will definitely come in handy with these recipes.

Since you live near the Wayside Inn, you'll probably appreciate my pain and agony last week trying to find it!! I hadn't been there in years. We took a side trip to Maynard to see the old Mill where Digital Equipment started (I had 14 years with them, my friend was with them almost 20 years...she'd never been to the mill at all). Found it! What a rush of feelings...good and bad. Decided to drive to Sudbury to show the teenagers the grist mill!!! I really had no idea if the inn served lunch...I had only had dinner there years earlier. I'm not sure how my sense of direction got so far misplaced, but ended up having to drive BACK to Hudson, down 85, to 20, and THEN got to the grist mill. (I'm still betting I was only yards away from the OTHER entrance but I just couldn't find it).

When we finally got the mill, I was SOOOO disappointed. There was an ugly blue tarp all over the wheel where they were painting and working on it. Forget any picture-taking opportunities. It was so depressing. Oh well....I convinced them we should go a little further down the road and see if the Inn was still there. OH MY!! What a parking area they've developed since I was there last.....including a tour bus!!! :-) We were pleasantly surprised to find they did serve lunch...and INCREDIBLY surprised to find such reasonable prices!! I think those meals were right at the lowest prices we paid the entire trip and the food was awesome.

Back to the squash, can these beasts be nuked in the microwave? I've had great luck with spaghetti squash in there. I usually ***** the skin, nuke it about 5 minutes or so, and then slice it open to remove the seeds. After the seeds are removed, I put the two halves face down in a pie pan that has about a 1/4 cup of water in it...it steams it very nicely like that. Think butternut would work the same way??? Thanks so much!!

[tracey67]

Ya know...I never thought of nuking squash, but I sure don't see why this wouldn't work. Think I'm going to try it myself the next time I make squash!

I was psyched to hear about the prices at the Inn. In the 2 years that I've lived right next to it, can you believe that we've never eaten there? We've had drinks at the little pub in front - it's really romantic in the winter with the fireplace going - but never dinner. After hearing your compliments, I think we're going to have to try it someday soon.

LOL about your driving story. I'm the same way with getting all turned around. DH just laughs and laughs when I say "go this way" - because I am usually SO wrong!

tracey