Spaghetti Squash.

From plot to plate.

Spaghetti squash.
I decided to grill it!
Halved, skin side down, over direct medium heat.
The trick is not to cut the squash lengthwise.
Through the middle — the equator — because, I learned, the strands run from side to side, not stem to bottom.
Removed the seeds from the squash, brushed the cut sides and interior with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, got it on the fire, and closed the lid.
It took 45 minutes for it to get tender.
While it cooked, I put together a simple tomato sauce made from two pounds chopped fresh tomatoes sautéed with a ton of garlic; at the end I stirred in fresh basil.
So - cut in half, turned on the grill for about 45 mins, on high but indirect heat.
- tossed them with the sauce.
...a subtle but very present smoke flavor that combined seamlessly with the tomato sauce.

Check out Instagram feed @markbittman.

Lentil and squash salad with walnuts and cranberries.

Lentil and squash salad with walnuts and cranberries | Recipes | Gino's Italian Escape
Ingredients

400g butternut squash, cut into 1cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
400g dried green lentils
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced
75g walnut pieces
50g dried cranberries, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4.
Put the squash in a large roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 25-30 minutes or until soft and slightly golden – then leave to cool.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat.
Add the lentils and cook for about 18-20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Drain well and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, put the lemon juice in a small bowl.
Slowly add the extra virgin olive oil, whisking constantly, until combined.
Add some sea salt and pepper.

Place the lentils and squash in a large bowl and add the lemon zest, spring onions, cucumber, walnuts, cranberries and parsley.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

Two Ways To Freeze Winter Squash.

Two Ways To Freeze Winter Squash | The Kitchn
- Raw: Peel and cut the squash into chunks of any size; 1-inch cubes are a good size.
Spread the pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer.
When completely frozen, transfer the squash to a freezer-safe container with 1/2-inch headspace to allow for food expansion.
Frozen chunks may be added directly to stews or into the oven for roasting, or thawed before using.

- Cooked: Depending on the size of the squash, cut it in halves, cubes, or slices.
Cook it by roasting, steaming, or boiling.
Remove the skins and mash the squash.
When cool, pack it into freezer containers with 1/2-inch headspace – or freeze in ice cube trays or muffin tins and then transfer to a container.
The creamy squash puree may be used in lasagnas, soups, dips, and more.

- That link about pureeing butternut squash makes it ridiculously harder than it needs to be.
All you need to do is cut the squash in half lengthwise, put the cut sides down in a baking dish with an inch or so of water, and roast at 200C for about 45 minutes.
Then scoop into an ice-cube tray and mash gently with the spoon as you pack it in.
No need to puree specifically because the water keeps the flesh moist without watering down the taste. (Each cube is approximately an ounce so it thaws in small portions, but very quickly once moved to the fridge.)

Recipe:
- Squash, Spinach and Feta Lasagna: moreterriers: this lasagna is really damn good.

- Recipe: Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Béchamel — Best Healthy Casseroles Contest | The Kitchn

- Heaven on a Plate | Falling For Food

- Shortcut Pumpkin Bacon Risotto, or, Hey, I Know, Let’s Piss Off the Purists! « Bad Mama Genny

- In a Pickle: Pickled Sugar Pumpkin | Serious Eats

- Eight Things To Do With Butternut Squash — Recipe Roundup | The Kitchn

Squash Noodle Soup with Healing Turmeric.

Japan’s Oldest Soba Shop

1 small spaghetti squash
Coconut oil
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 medium carrots
Fresh or dried thyme to taste (optional)
3/4 cup beluga lentils, preferably soaked overnight and rinsed
2 lemongrass stalks
3 garlic cloves, minced
One 1-inch piece of ginger, diced
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 small chile, seeded and minced
Handful kaffir lime leaves (optional)
2 lemons, plus more for serving
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
Cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Cut squash in half and remove seeds.
Rub the flesh with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. P
lace onto a rimmed baking tray, cut side down.

Clean carrots, sprinkle them with salt, pepper, thyme leaves (if using) and coconut oil and toss to coat.
Arrange around the squash on the baking tray.
Bake for 30 minutes or longer, until both carrots and squash are soft throughout.
Remove the carrots if they are ready before the squash.
Let cool.

In the meantime, rinse lentils and put them into a large saucepan with 10 cups of filtered water.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until they are soft but still have a bite to them.
Salt at the last 5 minutes.
Drain over colander, saving the cooking water.

Pour cooking water back into the saucepan.
Remove the harder outer layers from the lemongrass, bruise with the back of a chef’s knife and finely chop.

Add lemongrass, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chile and kaffir lime leaves (if using) to the cooking water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Add juice of 2 lemons and salt to taste.
Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes.
Strain, discarding the solids.

Scoop the “noodles” out of the squash with a fork and add them to the broth along with lentils.
Dice carrots and add them to the broth as well.
Reheat to a near boil over high heat, add spinach and remove from heat.
Serve with more lemon and cilantro leaves.

Mark Bittman's Customizable Soups.

Mark Bittman's Customizable Soups - The New York Times

I’m not anti-recipe (obviously), but some things just don’t need them — and most vegetable soups fall into that category.
Here are easy-to-follow instructions for making vegetable (vegetarian and, for the most part, vegan) soups with common ingredients, a variety of choices and terrific flavor.
Print the following page, stick it on your refrigerator and work your way through it.
By the time you’re done — 12 days or 12 weeks later — you’ll never again need a recipe for vegetable soup.
Promise.

And you’ll need no special techniques, no advance preparation and, for the most part, not much time.
You can use just about any vegetable (or bean) you have on hand.
These are not stone soups, but they’re close.

I’ve created four essential categories:
- creamy (vegetables puréed with dairy);
- brothy (a strained vegetable stock, with quick-cooking ingredients added);
- earthy (with beans); and
- hearty (the vegetables sautéed first, to deepen their flavor).

A few practical notes:
All of these recipes serve four, and you’ll want about a 2.5-to-4-quart (medium or large) pot.
Most can be cooked for a while — but not so long that the freshness is gone.
Most will taste as good or better the next day, so consider making a double batch and refrigerating (or freezing) the leftovers.
But never boil a soup after you’ve added dairy to it; instead, reheat gently.

If you want a supersmooth soup (and just about any of these soups can be puréed if you like), use a standing blender — let the soup cool a bit first — which creates a finer purée than an immersion blender does; you might even strain the soup after puréeing it.

Garnishes are all optional, though herbs add a dimension that will be lacking otherwise.
If you taste as you’re cooking, you’ll be fine, because there is really nothing to go wrong here.

Potimarron- Pumpkin - Hokkaido Squash.

Potimarron, a.k.a. Hokkaido squash, is a winter squash with a delicate chestnut flavor.
Its French name is in fact a portmanteau of potiron (pumpkin) and marron (chestnut), and the skin of young specimens is soft enough that you don’t have to peel it.

- Oh, and get this: the longer a potimarron is stored, the more its vitamin and sugar content develops.
Potimarron is great puréed with carrots!

Gratin of red kuri squash.

Gratin of red kuri squash - The Boston Globe
Gratin - a dish topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter.
Like many varieties of winter squash, red kuri squash (also known as Japanese squash, orange hokkaido, or uchiki kuri squash) offers a promise of nourishing dinners.
With its bright orange skin, and small teardrop shape, you'll easily recognize kuri; inside, the firm flesh has a creamy chestnut-like flavor.
Baked, braised, steamed, or pureed, this squash tastes wonderful; serve it as a side dish or use it as a base for soups.
For this simple gratin, you don't need to peel the squash.
Roast, steam, or boil it with potatoes, then puree them, and stir in grated zucchini.
Add ricotta, parsley, and a flavorful cheese (blue works well).
After half an hour, you have a delicious side dish that will make you rejoice over fall's harvest.

Butter (for the dish)
1 small red kuri squash (a generous 1 pound), seeded and sliced
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small zucchini, grated
2/3 cup ricotta
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for the top
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Fontina or crumbled blue cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

- tablespoon butter, cut up (for the top)
1. Set the oven at 200C.
Butter an 20cm square baking dish.

2. In a large saucepan fitted with a steamer insert, combine the squash and potatoes.
Bring to a boil, cover the pan, and steam over high heat for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a skewer.

3. Using a food mill or ricer set over a bowl, work the vegetables to form a puree.
Or mash them with a potato masher until they are coarsely pureed.
Add the zucchini, ricotta, nutmeg, parsley, 1/4 cup of cheese, and plenty of salt and pepper.

4. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
Smooth the top.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, butter, and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden.
Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Kuri Kabocha Squash.

- Baked Kuri Kabocha Squash and Apple Maple Pudding (and it's vegan too) | JustHungry
- 15 Delicious Pumpkin Recipes That Prove Pumpkin Is King of Fall — Recipes from The Kitchn | The Kitchn

Kuri Kabocha.
Heat the oven to 200°C.
Use a heavy, sharp knife or cleaver to cut the squash into quarters.
Place these quarters in a roasting pan and bake for 1 hour.
Alternate method:
- Place each squash directly in the oven, whole.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until soft enough to cut in half with little effort.
- Cut in quarters, place in a baking dish, and roast for 40 more minutes or until the skin can be easily peeled away from the flesh.

Put the squash aside for 15 minutes or until it is cool enough to be easily handled.
When cool, peel the skin away from the squash flesh.
You should have about 3 packed cups of roasted squash.

In a larg pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil or butter over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the garlic, shallots, and ginger, and fry in the oil for about a minute.
Add the tomato paste and fry for another minute.
Turn the heat down and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the shallots are beginning to really soften.
Add the curry powder and crumble in the red chili.
Fry for another minute, then add the squash.
Turn the heat back up to medium and fry the squash with the aromatics for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the coconut milk and chicken broth and bring to a light simmer.
Lower the heat and cover the pot.
Simmer for 30 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the soup with a hand blender, or pour the soup in batches into a blender and carefully puree it there, holding the top down with a towel. Add the salt in 1/2-teaspoon increments, tasting as you go, and stir in the juice of the lime.
Serve immediately, with the garnishes.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds | SimplyRecipes.com

Red Kuri Squash Soup.

Red Kuri Squash Soup Recipe -Alice Waters | Food & Wine
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds red kuri or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chopped toasted pecans and small marjoram leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 190°C.
In a large saucepan, combine the cubed squash with the chopped onion, bay leaf and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover and simmer over low heat until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the fennel wedges with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and toss well.
Roast for about 25 minutes, until the fennel is tender and starting to brown.

Discard the bay leaf from the soup.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender.
Return the soup to the saucepan and warm over low heat.
Stir in the butter and season the soup with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the roasted fennel, pecans, marjoram leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
MAKE AHEAD
The soup can be refrigerated overnight.
Reheat gently.

More: -Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup Recipe | SimplyRecipes.com

Nigel Slater soup. Beef cheek and butternut .

BBC - Food - Recipes : Beef cheek and butternut broth in sourdough:

Ingredients
1 litres boiling water
25g dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
400g beef cheek
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, cut into 5cm chunks
125g orzo pasta
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves, to serve
1 large round sourdough loaf (the largest you can find) (optional)

Preparation method
Pour the boiling water into a large bowl and add the porcini mushrooms.
Set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
Brown the beef cheek on all sides for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a large lidded casserole.
Add the onions to the frying pan and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until softened and just golden-brown.
Transfer to the casserole.
Repeat the process with the butternut squash.
Pour the porcini liquid and the mushrooms into the casserole and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering.
Half-cover the casserole with the lid, then simmer gently for 3 hours, stirring occasionally and topping up with boiling water if the volume of liquid reduces significantly.
After 3 hours, tip the orzo into the casserole and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, slice the top off the sourdough loaf and hollow out the inside.
Ladle the broth into the empty sourdough loaf, sprinkling over the chopped parsley to garnish.


Photo from the site of Nigel Slater.
'via Blog this'

Butternut Squash, Apple Soup.

Serves 4

1/2 butternut squash - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and chopped
- squash and apple ratio should be 3:1
1 shallot; chopped
1 carrots; chopped
1 sticks celery; chopped
1 leek - Cut the ends off the leeks, quarter them lengthways, wash them under running water and cut them into 1cm slices.
1 glove of garlic - not a whole bulb of garlic, just a piece!
4 cups chicken stock

1/6 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes; or more to taste
Worcestershire sauce - optional - to taste

- Heat a large thick-bottomed pot on medium-high heat.
Melt the butter in the pot and let it foam up and recede.
Add the leek, shallot, carrot, garlic and celery and sauté for 5 minutes.
Lower the heat if the vegetables begin to brown.

- Add the butternut squash, apple and stock.
Bring to boil.
Reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the squash and carrots have softened.

- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup, or work in batches and purée the soup in a standing blender
- Add pinches of nutmeg and cayenne
- Add Worcestershire sauce
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chives.
'via Blog this'

Butternut-squash strata.

Butternut-squash strata recipe - Telegraph:
1kg butternut squash
4 tbsp olive oil
40g sourdough bread, crust removed
450ml full-fat milk
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
250g fresh ricotta
about 15 sage leaves
generous grating of nutmeg
60g parmesan or pecorino, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200g bacon lardons
125g buffalo mozzarella, drained and torn

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
Halve, peel and deseed the squash.
Cut into wedges about 2.5cm thick.
Put into a roasting-tin, drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and season. Roast for about 30 minutes, until tender and slightly caramelised.
Allow to cool.

Turn the oven down to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Meanwhile, tear the bread into small chunks and mix with the milk, eggs and ricotta. Mash lightly.
Chop half the sage leaves and add to the mixture with the nutmeg and 25g of the parmesan or pecorino.
Season.
Cover and refrigerate.

Sauté the onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until soft.
Add the garlic.
Cook for a minute.
Scrape into a bowl.
Set aside.
In ½ tbsp oil, sauté the bacon until golden.
Lift on to kitchen paper to soak up excess fat.
Lightly oil or butter a 2l gratin or pie dish.
Put half the bread and milk mixture into it.
Add half the pumpkin, all the mozzarella, and half the bacon and onions. Ladle on the rest of the bread mix, pumpkin, bacon and onions.
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
Leave to sit for half an hour (for a lighter strata).

Put the dish into a roasting-tin and fill the tin with boiling water a third of the way up the sides of the dish.
Cook for about 1 hour.
It should be just set in the middle.
Heat the last ½ tbsp oil until very hot and fry the remaining sage until crisp (a few seconds), then scatter on the top.
Serve immediately with a green salad.
'via Blog this'

Spiced Squash.

Serves 2
There is no oil in this recipe. The squash is so soft and satisfying that nothing more is required for richness.
Ingredients:
-1 pound peeled and cubed Gold Nugget squash (or butternut, or pumpkin)
-1 cup water
-2 ounces brown sugar
-1 fresh lime leaf (or 1 dried Persian lime, or a piece of lime zest 2 inches long)
-1 tablespoon lime juice 
-Large pinch ground cumin (less than 1/4 teaspoon)
-1/4 teaspoon ground sumac
-Salt
-Pepper
In a saucepan that can accommodate the squash in a single layer, bring the squash, sugar, and water to a boil, with the lime or lemon leaf. Lower the heat and continue cooking very sedately for from 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water has almost evaporated. Shake the pan gently every now and then to prevent the squash from sticking to the bottom. 
When the liquid starts to turn syrupy, add the lime juice, the large pinch of cumin, and the sumac. Shake the pan gently again and tilt to spoon the juices over the squash pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and taste. Cook some more until all the liquid disappears, taking care not to scorch. 
Transfer the squash to a serving dish (use a spatula, so the squash is not...squashed— it is very soft). Eat at once.

Pumpkin+Orange+Ginger Jam.

500gr of pumpkin (peeled)

500gr of oranges (peeled)
peel of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
50g peeled and grated fresh ginger
500gr of jam sugar (with pectin)

1. Slice the oranges and pumpkin in food processor.
2. Place pumpkin, oranges flesh, juice of lemon, sugar and grated ginger into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook on a low heat, simmer gently for approximately 30-40 min, stir often to prevent sticking.
3. Mean while cut the orange peel in small slices and put in a small pot with simmering water, cook for 10min and change the water. Do this 3 times- makes the peel soft and remove the bitterness.
4. Add the peels to jam and simmer gently another 20min to finish.
5. Spoon the hot jam into sterilised in oven jars and close immediately.
6. Turn up-side-down and let cool completely.

Technique: sterilised jars in oven
1. wash the jars in soapy water and rinse in clean warm water.
Allow them to drip-dry, upside down, on a rack in the oven set to 100C.
Turn off the oven when the temperature reaches 100 degrees
Leave the jars there while you make the jam.

Carefully remove the sterilised jars from the oven with oven gloves - try to avoid touching the insides of the jars with the oven gloves, which might introduce unwelcome bacteria.