Butternut squash -- new tip

In a previous recipe for roasted squash seeds, I wrote that there was really only one way to get a squash ready for cooking, which was to cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. The implication is that you would then season and bake the squash halves and scoop the cooked squash out of the rind. For butternut squash, at least, there is an alternative, so I stand corrected!

Well, you do have to scoop out the seeds and the stringy slimy bits, but I was just watching a Jacques Pepin show on PBS during which he explained that even before you cut the butternut squash (which has a fairly thin rind compared to others) you can use a good peeler and peel the rind off -- but you have to make about three passes. The first one takes off the tan part, but you really want to peel off the lighter yellow part and get down to the bright orange part.

You still have to cut it up and take the seeds out, but this does let you have nice chunks of raw squash in case you want to do anything along those lines. I made soup with some (it's already in the freezer, sorry, forgot to take a picture) and roasted some. I may end up mashing the roasted pieces anyway, but the chunkiness does present other possibilities.

But even Jacques did say that the easiest thing to do with squash is to cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and bake it the way I did previously, with salt, pepper, and maybe a little butter or olive oil.

One other note: You really need to be careful chopping squash because it is both round and slippery. Not to mention sturdy, so a flimsy knife won't, if you will pardon the expression, cut it. Make sure your knife is sharp so you aren't trying to use too much force. It's very difficult to use the trick of cutting one slice off a side to give it a flat edge to sit on -- it really wants to roll, but because of its shape and tenacity, it's hard to carve off a lengthwise slice. Instead, cut it in half or thirds or fourths crosswise, which gives you the flat edge. Just turn the pieces up on end, flat side down. And do keep your fingers well out of the way! I put both hands on top of the knife and gently rock it through.

It just occurred to me that next time I buy a butternut squash, I could peel it, quarter it crosswise and seed it, and run it through the mandolin to make slices, like cottage fries. Could be interesting.