Autumn

A weeknight guide to autumn squash

6 min read

Squash is the most forgiving vegetable of the autumn market. It keeps for weeks on a cool shelf, it is cheap when it is in season, and almost every kind turns sweet and soft after half an hour in a hot oven. The only real obstacle is getting it open.

Which one to buy

• Butternut: smooth, easy to peel, dense flesh. The best all-rounder for soups and roasting.
• Red kuri (onion squash): thin skin that softens in the oven, so there is no need to peel it.
• Delicata: small, quick to cook, skin edible. Slice into rings and roast in twenty minutes.
• Acorn: ridged and a little fibrous; best halved and baked with butter and a pinch of salt.

Choose squash that feels heavy for its size, with a dry, firm stem and no soft patches.

Cutting it without a fight

1. Trim a thin slice off one long side so the squash lies flat and cannot roll.
2. Cut off the stem end, then halve it lengthways with a heavy knife, pressing down on the spine of the blade with your other palm.
3. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Keep them: rinsed, dried and roasted with oil and salt, they are a snack.

If the skin is very hard, microwave the whole squash for two or three minutes first. It softens just enough to make the first cut easy.

Four weeknight dinners

• Roast and toss: cubes roasted at 220 °C with oil and chilli flakes, tossed with lentils, feta and parsley.
• Squash and sage pasta: roasted squash mashed into browned butter with sage, loosened with pasta water.
• Sheet-pan curry: squash, chickpeas and red onion roasted with curry paste, finished with coconut yoghurt.
• Soup in twenty-five minutes: onion, garlic, squash and stock simmered until soft, then blended with a squeeze of lime.