Buttercup Squash

A few weeks back I wrote about another winter squash, the always popular butternut. Well, this summer, we grew what turned out to be a slew of a different variety--buttercup squash. Here's a pic of just a portion of our bounty. The buttercups are the round ones, mixed in with a few lovely acorn squash as well.

Having never prepared or eaten a buttercup squash, I enlisted advice from friends on facebook for recipes and got some good ideas. Essentially, I was told, you roast this squash like pumpkin or butternut. With that information, I decided to look up recipes for these squash in my 1961 New York Times cookbook, a great resource for "old-time" recipes. This is how I ended up preparing my buttercup squash, and it was delicious! I'm passing it on here--it is mostly 100% NYTimes, except for my addition of balsamic:

Roasted Buttercup Squash Glaze

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger (I used paste in a squeeze tube)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Splashes of balsamic vinegar to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the buttercup in half and sccop out the seeds and strands, and then cut again into even fourths.

Line a roasting dish or glass dish (with sides) with foil and coat with butter or Pam.

Melt the butter and ginger on stove. Add the sugar and keep stirring until it is dissolved. Taste the mixture and splash some vinegar in as needed (or don't) to cut down a bit on the sweetness and add a little tang.

Arrange the squash on the foil, flesh sides up, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and glaze with the mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until tender.

This squash is delightful, sort of a cross between a heartier pumpkin and a more delicate butternut. And for whatever reason, our homegrowns are especially sweet (you could eat them plain and enjoy doing it). If someone offers you a buttercup from her garden, accept! Keep in mind, this recipe is also an easy way to prepare any winter squash as a side dish that goes well with everything, from pork roast to a vegetarian medley. And Thanksgiving is upcoming. Popping some glazed squash in your oven with the turkey is a simple way to provide that much-needed orange color to the dinner plate. Bon apetit.