But there is nothing, nothing more daunting than prepping it when you bring it home. This holiday season I was determined to overcome my inner fears and start playing around with these delicious gourds from prep to bake to incorporating them into delicious recipes.
When prepping, there are a few guidelines I like to follow. I go with a medium-size gourd and slice it into 4 pieces with a large chef's knife. First, I slice it in half (across the middle NOT lengthwise), trim the ends on both sides, and then slice the two pieces in half down the middle. I scoop out the seeds with a small spoon — a grapefruit spoon works really well. And then I start peeling. NOT with a paring knife, but with an ordinary potato peeler. The skin is oddly thin and easy to peel. Another option (a tip from a reader) is to keep the skin on. I tried it and they were right, you can actually cook it and eat it for extra fiber and nutrition — much like the skin on a baked potato.
For me, I prefer to peel half the squash, and keep the skin on the other half. It gives me a good mix of both textures and does not overdo the peel. If cooking and eating the skin, then opt for organic squash. The recipe below gives you a baked version with a garam masala spice blend. If you would like to make it more traditionally, swap out the garam masala for a teaspoon of black pepper. Keep the rest of the recipe the same. This version is perfect to add to an Italian risotto.
xoxo Anupy
Prep: 10-15 minutes
Cook: 35-40 minutes
Total: 45-55 minutes
Makes: 4-6 servings
How does it taste? Here's a review from one young taste tester. "Thank you very much for the butternut squash! The texture was very soft and buttery and reminded me very strongly of pumpkin pie. The squash tasted very good, and I would recommend adding a small amount of less salt to some of the pieces. Overall, the flavors combined together really well, and I would look forward to eating this as a dessert."
This from Alexandria C. My mother's neighbor's daughter who is not only a budding foodie, but a balanced taste tester. She's right. When you are mixing the spices and salt you want all the pieces to be coated evenly — in my rush I may have overlooked doing that. Thank you, Alexandria. You and your family rock! Thanks for giving my recipe a try and being an official taste tester for Indian As Apple Pie.
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[[ recipeID=recipe-2mh0w2v3c, title=Oven: Roasted Garam Masala Butternut Squash ]]
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by Anupy Singla, Indian As Apple Pie
Servings: 4
Keywords: Indian Recipes, garam masala, indian spices, indian side, thanksgiving side
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