The Butternut Squash

“What's this silly looking hing?” the boy said as he zapped the vegetable with a plastic alligator.

         His mother looked  supplied the answer, “Butternut squash. Very tasty.”

         Butternut squash, with it's gourd looking body and pumpkin colored skin is, indeed, a silly looking thing.

         In the United States, butternut squash is considered to be a winter squash. In Australia and Africa, it is thought of as a pumpkin.

         Choosing a butternut

         Keep in mind that one butternut squash, weighing between two and five pounds, easily feeds a family of four.

         Pick a squash with even coloration and skin. No obvious damage.

         

         The butternut is a  devil to peel and cut. It's not slippery, just extremely hard.

         Cutting & peeling methods:

1. Poke the squash several times with a meat fork or knife ( as you would a baked potato), then zap the squash in the microwave for one to three minutes till outer skin is softened.

Drop the squash into a pot of boiling water. Letstand five minutes until skin in softened.

         The squash should now be easy to peel and cube.

         Butternut squash can be toasted, roasted or pureed for soup.

         If this is your first time cooking the butternut, you might want to tr the soup first as the soup has a nutty, pumpking flavor that doesn't screamNew Food!

         Butternut squash is low in saturated fats,cholesterol, and sodium. It is a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium and  Vitamins B6 ,E, and C.

Diabetics beware! One cup of cooked butternut squash alone, minus any seasings, has 22 grams of carbohydrates.

Butternut Squash Soup



Ingredients:

6 tablespoons chopped onion

4 tablespoons margarine

6 dups peeled and cubed butternut squash

* 4 subes chicken bouillon

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3 cups water.

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese.

         Saute onions in margarine until tender. Add everything excdept cream cheese and bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

         Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processer until smooth. Return to saucepan and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

1-2 cans chicken broth can be substituted for the bouillion cubes .

Writer's note; This soup tastes better when prepared with canned chicken broth rather than with the bouillon cubes. For richer soup, add a second package of cream cheese