UNITED STATES—Some vegetables you stumble upon by mistake. One of those veggies that never caught my attention until a few years back was butternut squash. I saw the veggie being cooked in a dish on Food Network and I had to try it. It’s a member of the squash family; and it’s notably popular during the winter months. When it comes to identifying the vegetable it has an odd shape, with a yellowish, orange texture on the inside.
Some have compared it to pumpkin, but I would beg to differ. The two are definitely relatives though, as referenced by the multitude of pumpkin like seeds at the bottom of the vegetable. I would not recommend eating the vegetable raw, I have on occasion used small chunks in smoothie drinks to enhance vegetable intake. Be careful to counter the butternut squash with fruits that pack a bit of sweetness to create a balance.
In regards to preparation, butternut squash tastes best when it’s cooked in the oven. In some occasions, it can be smashed to be used to create butternut squash ravioli. Notable spices to enhance flavor include pumpkin spice, nutmeg and cinnamon in my opinion. One of the most popular dishes for the vegetable is butternut squash soup. Butternut squash is packed with Vitamin A and beta-carotene. It also delivers a healthy does of folate, vitamin C and potassium.
Cooking tip: With the winter months upon us, the butternut squash is a great addition to stews, particularly beef stew. Take your essential root veggies, chunks of beef stew, salt, pepper and diced cubes of butternut squash and you have a warm and tasty supper.
By LaDale Anderson
