These are the beginning of the golden days of fall. How nice it is when nature catches up to our Instagram-influenced seasonal expectations! We are enjoying clear blue skies, fluttering leaves, red dogwood seeds, dodging the pelting horse chestnuts, and basking in the cooler temperatures. I’m happily rummaging through my cotton sweaters, eager for a wardrobe change. Food-wise we are ready for some changes, too. Summer salads were all well and good, but now I’m thinking of heartier fare – I’ll be bidding adieu to festive, light cucumber salads, and hello to the many permutations of the heartier squash dishes.
Summer squash – namely the ubiquitous, wily zucchini – has worn out its welcome. Autumnal squashes are a welcome chameleon and blessing. All this week I have been reading some of the many squash recipes tumbling around the internet for raw, roasted, baked, mashed, grilled, stewed, steamed and souped-up squash and pumpkins. And there are oodles and myriad varieties of squash: acorn squash, Delicata squash, butternut squash, Sweet Dumpling squash, Turban squash, Kabocha squash, spaghetti squash, buttercup squash, and lest we forget the obvious – pumpkin squash.
The British House & Garden has some beauteous ideas. How brilliant is this? Butternut Squash Soup
For your chill vegetarians, this is a way to warm them up with the more delicate taste of roasted acorn squash and apples:
Acorn Squash and Apple Soup
Are you trying to cut back on your carbs? Spaghetti squash might be the answer. A 1-cup serving of cooked spaghetti squash has about 10 grams of carbohydrates versus a 1-cup serving of regular cooked spaghetti which has about 41 grams of carbs. Of course, adding cheese and bacon, and a side of garlic bread won’t really benefit your lofty dietary goals, but it is delicious:
Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
Go hang out at the farmers’ market and you will notice the subtle differences between squash varieties. The kabocha (which means pumpkin in Japanese) squash and the buttercup squash look very similar – they are round and squat and green, after all. But the kabocha is rounder, and has a tree-like stem. The buttercup flesh is wetter, while the kabocha is more dense and easier to handle. So seek out the kabocha, and accept no substitutes.
Kabocha
The Delicata squash is cream-colored with orange or green stripes, and it has a delicate, edible rind. Pair it with apples for an aromatic side dish for pork chops: Roasted Delicate Squash
Don’t you love a good, hearty stuffed squash? Many squash are perfectly suited for stuffing, and you can stuff this with abandon.
Stuffed Winter Squash
Breads! Bake pumpkin bread often during the fall. Homemade pumpkin spices floating around the house will cheer you up and make you smile. (Although I did bake a loaf of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Bread from the mix last week, and enjoyed it toasted for breakfast for a few days. Deelish! And no mix shame!) Right now, mindfulness and deep breathing are to be encouraged. Plus with a slice of pumpkin bread and a cup of tea, you can take a little afternoon break. This is extra special pumpkin bread – it has chocolate! It will give you something else to look forward to:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Here is a handy overview of winter squashes:
Winter Squashes
Eat up! Winter is coming!
“In the lives of children, pumpkins can turn into coaches, mice and rats into human beings.”
– Gregory Maguire
