butternut
sweet dumpling
spaghetti
“W
hen I was growing up, my
mother would cook squash. She would get them from the market
on Federal Hill, split acorn squash, and put in butter and brown
sugar and bake them. And that was a real treat,” remembers Jody
Adams, Providence, Rhode Island, native and chef/owner of
Rialto in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jeremy Sewall, chef/owner
of Lineage in Brookline, Massachusetts, recalls cooking acorn
squash for the first time as a young culinary student. “Just brown
butter and roasted squash—it was one of those eureka moments.
‘We’ve made something so simple. How can it taste this good?’”
he recalls.
54 OCTOBER 2008 | santÉ
kabocha
Experimentation with this old favorite has inspired an ever-
expanding list of desirable qualities and pleasing combinations.
The variety, unsurpassed versatility, and companionability with
other seasonal ingredients allow squash to appear on every
part of a restaurant’s fall menu, from appetizers to desserts.
And squash’s long shelf life ensures its delivery throughout the
vegetable-starved winter months, and that makes the gorgeous
gourds a superstar ingredient for the ever-burgeoning cook-local
movement. Best of all, for the bargain price of about one dollar
a pound, chefs can send the homey aromas of squash through
photograph by greg nesbit
their dining rooms and evoke their guests’ (and their own) best
taste memories.
Daily Variety
Beyond America’s reigning favorites—acorn and butternut—
there are almost endless varieties of squash, ranging from the

Awash
in
acorm
more mainstream types, such as Hubbard, delicata, turban, and
kabocha, to the extraordinary, including Australian blue and
red kuri. They come in every conceivable size and color and
from nearly every continent. “I can—just from our local growers
—probably come up with ten different varieties,” estimates
Jonaton Lome, chef de cuisine at the Azure Restaurant at
the Intercontinental Toronto Centre. He gets his squash and
much of his other produce from Cookstown Greens, which is
located in Thornton, Ontario, about an hour’s drive north of
his restaurant.
Cookstown Greens’ Owner David Cohlmeyer is a former
chef. He has tried growing many of the 85 varieties of winter
squash offered by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield,
Missouri. (Fifteen varieties were available from Baker Creek
for the first time this season, and others are dropped routinely
from the company’s catalog list.) Cohlmeyer looks specifically
provisions | By Ashley Brenon
squash
delicata
for the qualities that chefs appreciate and has popularized many
varieties in this way. “A chestnut squash—aptly named—is dry,
rich, sweet, and aromatic,” he says. Kikuza is a Japanese variety
with tan skin and orange flesh. “It has a sort of spicy flavor, not
bland like some other squash, almost cinnamony.”
Different varieties are praised for their unique characteristics.
“What an array of colors and textures. They each have their own
personality,” Jan Greer exclaims. She and her husband operate
Upstate Farms, 35 acres in Red Hook, New York, and deliver
produce to such greats as Daniel Boulud and Dan Barber as
often as three times a week. “All [squash] offer a little something
different: savory, medium sweetness, intense sweetness,
smoothness . . .” she trails off. Lome categorizes their attributes
based on how they behave in recipes. “Some are a little starchier
than others. Some are much denser, harder squash, where some
are much softer and will cook much easier,” he says.
santÉ | OCTOBER 2008 55
 “ Things that grow together go well
together. If you were serving a roasted squash
with pork tenderloin, it would be very easy to
add roast apples.”
—Jody Adams
Just Gourd-geous
The variety of squash and length of time it has been stored are
factors that contribute to the vegetable’s water content, a key
attribute in determining how the squash will be used. “Those
with higher water content are good for soups,” Greer offers.
Drier-fleshed varieties serve other purposes. “You can use
[those] for a lot of things that you don’t want a lot of liquid for,
like if you’re making a squash pasta or gnocchi,” suggests Laura
Pensiero. A chef, registered dietitian, and cookbook author, she
owns Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, New York as well as several
other food-related enterprises in the Hudson Valley. “When
you cut through them, if they are really fresh, you are going to
see the water beading out of them. If it just looks starchy and
normal, it is a little older,” Pensiero declares.
Many chefs believe butternut has earned the top spot among
the most-used varieties. It’s tremendously adaptable. “I have it
as an ice cream. I have had it as a soup. I have had it made into
a sweet component to be served with foie gras. The versatility
of it can’t be beat,” Lome relates. In addition, when stored
properly, it lasts far longer than many other varieties. Benjamin
Shute, from Hearty Roots Community Farm in Tivoli, New York,
supplies much of the produce for Gigi Trattoria. He commented
in July on the lasting quality of butternut squash. “The butternuts
especially—I am pretty sure I still have a butternut from last year
on my shelf—you can really get away with storing them for a
long time in the right conditions.”
Delicatas, on the other hand, with their yellow-and-green skin
and orange-colored melonlike flesh, Shute recommends eating
early. “You can store for a little while, and in perfect conditions,
they’ll do pretty well. But I wouldn’t recommend storing them
for any more than a couple of weeks or a month,” he says. Adams
enjoys delicatas for being just slightly out of the ordinary. She
prepares them as hors d’oeuvres. “I peel them, cut them into
thin rings, dip them into tempura batter, and fry them the way
you would find on a Japanese soup,” Adams reveals.
Menu Maven
At the same time that each variety exhibits its own well-defined
traits, squashes are well known for their similarities. Once chefs
master a few squash-related skills, they can make many dishes.
“The same sort of method—peel, seed, and roast—for a butter-
56 OCTOBER 2008 | santÉ
nut squash can be applied to
a spaghetti squash or a Hub-
bard squash,” Pensiero ex-
plains. “From those roasted
vegetables you could have a
side dish on its own. Or those
roasted vegetables could go
into a risotto, or they could
go into a frittata, or they
could go into a pasta,” she
continues. “You have your
base, and then you have a lot of options from there.” Further-
more, one type of squash can often be substituted for another
in recipes. Waldy Malouf, chef/co-owner of Beacon Restaurant
& Bar in New York City, remembers opening his first restaurant,
the Hudson River Club, on Thanksgiving Day, 1989. “One of
the first dishes that was hugely successful—and is still successful,
even now, almost 20 years later—is a pumpkin-apple soup we
made then. And we would vary that by making a butternut and
pear one.”
Because many squashes can be used almost interchangeably,
Cohlmeyer recommends adding the more exotic varieties to
the menu. Often they are prepared the same way and may even
look the same as more conventional types, but they add intrigue.
“If you put squash soup on the menu, no one will order it,”
Cohlmeyer explains. Calabaza soup, on the other hand, is likely
to be a major hit. “You’ll get something unique that everyone
will like for ten cents on the plate,” Cohlmeyer reveals.
Down on the Farm
As Cohlmeyer suggests, squash does take some getting used to.
He believes that the unpleasantness sometimes associated with
by carol kaplan
the flavor is likely a result of poor commercial growing practices.
According to Cohlmeyer, beets and squash produce the same
number of seemingly high-quality fruits even when grown on the
farmer’s worst fields. “Things taste better when they are grown
(left)
in the best soil, and in squash, it really shows up,” he explains.
Because commercial farmers are paid the same amount
photograph
regardless of taste, they often don’t prioritize the placement of
beets and squash.
 Ravioli Pasta:
Semolina flour to coat
Thin 10 X 3-inch fresh 4
egg pasta sheets
Squash puree from above
Water to brush

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a sheet pan

with a tea towel and sprinkle it with semolina flour.
Lay pasta sheets over the sheet pan one at a time.
2. Put 1½ teaspoonfuls of squash puree in a row,
about 1 inch apart, along the bottom of each pasta
sheet.
3. Brush the pasta sheet with water between the
squash, and fold the free half over the squash half.
Press and then cut, using a crinkle cutter between
the squash to seal. Push the air from the center of
each ravioli and seal tightly. Refrigerate until ready
to use.
4. When sauce is ready, bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook 3 minutes.

Vegetables and Sauce:
Unsalted butter at room temperature 4 Tbsp, divided
Smoked bacon 2 oz
Large sea scallops 12

Seared Scallops Polenta

Salt and pepper to taste
Chanterelle mushrooms, 3 oz
cut into 2-inch pieces
Winter squash, peeled and 2 oz
with Autumn Squash, Ravioli, cut into ¼-inch dice
Chanterelles, and Smoked Bacon Shallot, minced 1
Garlic, minced 1 clove
By Jody Adams, chef/owner, Rialto, Cambridge, Dry Marsala wine ½ cup
Massachusetts Fennel seeds ¼ tsp

Yield: 4 appetizer servings 1. Melt butter in large saute pan over medium heat.
2. Cut bacon the short way, crosswise, into ¼-inch
Ravioli Filling: slices. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until
Unsalted butter at room temperature 2 Tbsp the fat is rendered but the bacon is not yet crispy.
Firm, sweet winter squash, 10 oz Remove the bacon.
peeled and cut into 1-inch dice 3. Season scallops with salt and pepper, increase the
White onion, diced ¼ cup heat to medium high, and sear the scallops on each
Salt and freshly ground to taste side until golden. Transfer three scallops to each of
black pepper the four dinner plates.
Water 2 Tbsp 4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms
Pecorino cheese, freshly grated 2 Tbsp and squash to the pan, season with salt and pepper,
Fresh thyme, chopped 1 tsp and cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook a
few minutes to brown the vegetables, then transfer
1. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. them to the plate with the bacon.
2. Add the squash and onion, season with salt and pepper, 5. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook 1 minute.
and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. 6. Add the Marsala and reduce by half.
3. Add water, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and 7. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
cook 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, the Season with fennel seeds.
water has been absorbed, and the butter starts to sizzle.
4. Allow to cool. Puree in a food processor until smooth. To plate, add cooked ravioli to the pan containing the
Add the pecorino and thyme, and season with salt and sauce, toss with remaining ingredients, and garnish with
pepper. Set aside. parsley leaves.

santÉ | OCTOBER 2008 57


To ensure that they are getting the best-tasting vegetables,
chefs inspect them in different ways. The first thing Sewall
notices in shopping for squash is the stem. “I look at where
the squash left the plant. Perfectly, it would look like a
bellybutton in the squash where the stem just fell off,” Sewall
says, which indicates that the fruit ripened before it was
harvested. Next, it should feel heavy for its size. “If you pick
it up and it’s like Styrofoam, then you know it is probably not
good, and it is probably dried out,” Malouf explains. Finally,
examine the skin. “The skin should be taut and relatively
free of blemishes,” Malouf recommends. A healthy firmness
is a sign that the fruit was allowed to ripen through the cold
nights—a process Greer refers to as hardening off. “The
colder weather sweetens the fruit and prepares them for
storage,” Greer explains. “If you clean the dirt off, it should
actually be shiny,” Malouf adds. “You will be able to tell that
it is pretty fresh that way and generally flavorful.”
So Happy Together
One of the best qualities about perfectly ripe squash is its
compatibility with the other ingredients that are available at
the same time of year. Beyond the classic maple syrup, butter,
honey, and molasses combinations, Adams routinely unites
ingredients that are what she terms naturally synergistic.
“Things that grow together go well together. If you were
serving a roasted squash with pork tenderloin, it would be
very easy to add roast apples and have a nice balanced plate
with some sauteed greens, and all of those things grow at the
same time,” Adams says. Malouf concurs, “We’ve done a pork
chop that is braised with butternut squash, chanterelles, and
chestnuts, which is very successful and very fallish.”
The only risk in preparing squash, Adams warns, is that it
can seem flat or bland. To counteract the one-dimensional
tendency, she suggests balancing it with vegetables or fruits
58 OCTOBER 2008 | santÉ
Maple Pumpkin Polenta
By Laura Pensiero, RD, owner, Gigi Trattoria,
Rhinebeck, New York
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp
Garlic, minced 1 clove
Fresh rosemary, chopped 1½ tsp
Hot chile flakes 1 pinch
Milk 1 qt
Water 2 cups
Kosher salt 1½ tsp
Finely ground yellow cornmeal 1½ cups
Pumpkin, boiled, drained, 1 cup
and pureed
Maple syrup 2 Tbsp
Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated ½ cup
Butter Tbsp
1. In a medium-size saucepan, heat the olive oil, garlic,
rosemary, and chile flakes over medium heat.
2. When the garlic just begins to brown, add the milk, water,
and salt.
3. Bring the mixture to a low boil, reduce the heat to simmer,
and gradually whisk in the cornmeal; add a small amount
at a time, stirring with each addition to prevent clumping.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook the polenta, stirring
often, until the cornmeal is creamy and pulling away from
the sides of the pan, about 25 minutes.
5. Stir in the pumpkin puree and maple syrup, cook another
minute or two, then remove from the heat.
6. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the butter. Adjust
seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
that have a bit of a kick. “Roasted onions, for instance, that have a
little edge,” Adams offers. Pomegranate, orange, and orange zest
provide more tropical options for adding light and acidity. “The
surprise thing that works with [squash] is the red chiles,” Malouf
says. “A little bit of heat contrasts the roundness and the sweetness
of the squash.” He often serves his classic pumpkin apple soup with
a spicy spun sugar. “Red pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon. We sort of drop
it in the soup, and it leaves a puddle of these herbs,” he says.
Malouf and Sewall agree that squash is accented nicely by smoky
flavors. “Any smoked product: smoked meat, fish, bacon,” Malouf
suggests. Sewall often obtains the smoky flavor in a wood oven,
noting, “Roasted squash in a wood oven is just something that we
love to do. Get a touch of smoke on there and a little bit of that wood
flavor on there,” Sewall concludes. “It’s a nostalgic way of cooking.
And the smell that it creates in the restaurant is pretty amazing.”