Genius Recipes
The Squash-Roasting Step Ottolenghi Always Skips
Ottolenghi's done this in every single cookbook—why haven’t we?
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59 Comments
Clare C.
August 22, 2023
I have always peeled until recently. I grew Kiri squash and a recipe I used said not to peel. Roasted with maple
Syrup and olive oil, cooled a salad, lovely.
Syrup and olive oil, cooled a salad, lovely.
Joan W.
November 18, 2020
You asked for an easy way to measure freshly ground pepper. Cinch! Recipes usually call for 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. SO, do it ONCE, counting your twists as you grind the pepper, until you get the specified measurement. It takes me about 20 twists to get 1/2 teaspoon. That's it. Next time I need 1/2 teaspoon, I just count twenty grinds and I'm good to go.
Андрей М.
November 14, 2019
Приготовил дома и получилось очень вкусно! Теперь снимать кожуру на тыкве не буду! ))) Спасибо! Посмотрите что у меня получилось тут - https://zen.yandex.ru/media/kaleidoscope/probuem-vmeste-teplyi-salat-iz-zapechennoi-tykvy-so-smetanoi-i-sousom-iz-kinzy-5dccd6e913aa6c3a624801c4
A.S.
November 3, 2019
It's always shocking to me how much edible stuff people just assume is trash. Especially in this day and age of "food experts".
Kristen M.
November 4, 2019
It's easy to assume something's not edible (or at least not easily so) when so many recipes say to peel or discard, but, happily, chefs, authors, and home cooks are all getting a lot more conscientious about this.
Susan A.
November 3, 2019
I always use a mallet to make the knife or cleaver go through, it makes it go quickly and is far less dangerous to the cook.
marie
November 1, 2019
Buy it already cut up at Trader Joes!!
Kristen M.
November 4, 2019
That's a very handy option in a pinch, but it's also more expensive, so I find it empowering to know the easiest ways to do it myself.
Sib
November 1, 2019
Random question.....do you sell the gray cutting board behind you on the counter?
Kristen M.
November 4, 2019
In fact, we do! https://food52.com/shop/products/4550-ash-round-bread-board
Diane
October 31, 2019
I always roast my butternut squash with the skin on, however, I always peeled it prior to serving. I never thought the skin was eatable. I will have to give it a try.
rbrock1225
October 31, 2019
When I need roasted winter squash as an ingredient, I put it on a pan and poke several holes in it. I'll usually poke the holes with a paring knife although I've also used an old ice pick. Make sure you poke through to the area where the seeds are. My theory is that like potatoes, I don't want to take a risk on anything exploding in the oven. Then I bake in a 325-350 df oven until it's fork tender.
At that point it cuts into halves very easily. I scoop out the seeds and save if I want them. The outer skin peels off easily. The pulp can then be cut up, or pureed, or mashed with another vegetable. Btw, a mixture of Yukon Gold potatoes & winter squash mashed as you would just potatoes (butter & milk, ...) gives you a beautiful option on your Thanksgiving dinner plate and is a sneaky way to get little kids to eat squash.
At that point it cuts into halves very easily. I scoop out the seeds and save if I want them. The outer skin peels off easily. The pulp can then be cut up, or pureed, or mashed with another vegetable. Btw, a mixture of Yukon Gold potatoes & winter squash mashed as you would just potatoes (butter & milk, ...) gives you a beautiful option on your Thanksgiving dinner plate and is a sneaky way to get little kids to eat squash.
acecil
October 31, 2019
I’ll try this; it may be great. But if you want to peel your butternut squash... a simple trick is to poke a few holes in the skin with a fork then microwave the thing whole for about 2 minutes and then peel. It is so much easier!!
Tazhart
October 30, 2019
Another way roast whole than slice in half and chucks add olive oil and spices and back in oven. Just make sure wash well first
Patricia W.
October 30, 2019
I made a recipe he printed in the NYT two weeks ago where the instructions were to peel butternut squash before roasting with onions for a filo encrusted ‘fondue’
Marie F.
October 30, 2019
To halve a squash, take a cleaver and place it on the squash where you want to split it, then take a mallet and pound the cleaver until the squash splits in half. Learned that from Alton Brown.
Sandra D.
October 30, 2019
A few tricks for kabocha squash is to cut the stem and bottom center out first. Then slice in half from the top down, take out the seeds and then slice the squash in melon style slices about 1/4 " thick , next grate some fresh ginger into a large bowl, add olive oil, s&p toss the squash pieces in the bowl till coated and roast in a sheet baking pan for about 30min at 400*. Voila!! the most delicious squash slices you've ever had !!! You can roast a 425* for a shorter time and get slight dark edges on the slices, just as delicious. Enjoy
Barbara
October 30, 2019
I never peel anything. Someone once told me that the skins hold so many vitamins that I stop peeling everything.
Therese S.
October 30, 2019
I grew up with roasted acorn squash that wasn't peeled. Cut in half, seeds and stringies removed, roasted with butter and brown sugar in the center. Candy in a vegetable form.
AngiePanda
October 30, 2019
Same here...I still do it that way but I add some Moroccan seasoning and it turns out even better, if you can believe that!
Patricia
October 30, 2019
My grandma always made it that way, but added marshmallows and roasted them. I added nuts and sometimes pineapple to that .. yum! 😋
Kristen M.
November 4, 2019
Yum. It really is candy in vegetable form, but so much more interesting. I roasted a stripetti squash last night with only a little olive oil and it tasted so much like honey.
hmship
October 30, 2019
I never peel or seed squash anymore when I roast it. The seeds get nice and crunchy and I find the skin delicious. This works for any winter squash.
TXExpatInBKK
October 30, 2019
What about the stringy bits around the seeds? How do they come out after roasting?
Jan
October 30, 2019
Jam your squash in the drain of your sink & attack with your heaviest, sharpest knife. I split it in two, then go for chunks or slices once I get it halved & seeded.
Carol E.
October 30, 2019
The peeling isn't the problem. Cutting up a butternut squash is beyond me. Too hard! I should get a hatchet? A chainsaw? Toss it in the oven & bake till it explodes? Trader Joe's has precut chunks this time of year. I'll stick with that.
thatgirl
October 30, 2019
Key peeling squash is a good, sharp peeler; they're no different than knives. I recommend the OXO peeler, which has a great blade, can be re-sharpened.
Try this with butternut squash: wash the skin thoroughly with hot water and a bit of dish soap. Even if you're peeling the skin, you don't want to cut into a dirty squash! then cut off the top and bottom ends so you have something that can stand on its own. Then cut away the round/bulbous part of the squash from the longer bit so you have two pieces. This is when I peel both, because having cut into the squash, you now have a reliable edge against which you can begin peeling. I do in long strips, from top flat slide to bottom flat side.
Or you cut each of these larger pieces in half from flat side to flat side. Scoop the seeds and pulp from the bulbous side, then peel as mentioned.
Perhaps this takes more time, but you can prep it ahead and refrigerate or freeze for later, and it's cheaper than pre-peeled and seeded parts.
Try it!
Try this with butternut squash: wash the skin thoroughly with hot water and a bit of dish soap. Even if you're peeling the skin, you don't want to cut into a dirty squash! then cut off the top and bottom ends so you have something that can stand on its own. Then cut away the round/bulbous part of the squash from the longer bit so you have two pieces. This is when I peel both, because having cut into the squash, you now have a reliable edge against which you can begin peeling. I do in long strips, from top flat slide to bottom flat side.
Or you cut each of these larger pieces in half from flat side to flat side. Scoop the seeds and pulp from the bulbous side, then peel as mentioned.
Perhaps this takes more time, but you can prep it ahead and refrigerate or freeze for later, and it's cheaper than pre-peeled and seeded parts.
Try it!
Lazyretirementgirl
October 30, 2019
I put it whole into the crockpot on low for a few hours and then butcher it.
thatgirl
October 30, 2019
Sadly, no carmelized bits in that method, or ability to roast it with other veg.
Kristen M.
November 4, 2019
I hear you, Carol. I heard from Natalie Cruz (linked above) that letting the squash sit in boiled water for a few minutes makes it much easier to slice, but I haven't tried it yet.
Carol E.
November 4, 2019
Clearly I am not the only squash wimp, but it never occurred to me to experiment. Wadge it down the sink! Hit it with a mallet! Thanks for all the creative work-arounds! (Buying a whole butternut squash next.)
Anne
October 30, 2019
Does this work with other squashes, too? Acorn? Kabocha? etc?
Kristen M.
November 4, 2019
Yep! I shared a caveat above, which is that if the squash is extremely hard to slice through, it will probably not soften much in roasting.
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