Recipes for Health: Winter Squash
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 7:05 am
Recipes for Health: Winter Squash
Like other orange vegetables, winter squash is an excellent source of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also a very good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese, and a good source of folate, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin B6, niacin and pantothenic acid.
Winter squashes like kabocha, the green pumpkin-shaped squashes that are now widely available in farmers’ markets, can be a bit daunting to work with. They’re so thick and hard that you may wonder where to begin. I usually roast these rough- and thick-skinned squashes before I try to tackle peeling them: cut them in half or quarters, scrape away the seeds and fibrous membranes, put them on an oiled, foil-lined baking sheet, then roast at 425ºF until they are soft enough to pierce with the tip of a knife. Then you can peel them easily and proceed with a given recipe. Butternut squashes, though equally hard, have a smooth skin that you can peel away with a vegetable peeler (cut them in half first to make the task easier). Martha Rose Shulman
Like other orange vegetables, winter squash is an excellent source of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also a very good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese, and a good source of folate, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin B6, niacin and pantothenic acid.
Winter squashes like kabocha, the green pumpkin-shaped squashes that are now widely available in farmers’ markets, can be a bit daunting to work with. They’re so thick and hard that you may wonder where to begin. I usually roast these rough- and thick-skinned squashes before I try to tackle peeling them: cut them in half or quarters, scrape away the seeds and fibrous membranes, put them on an oiled, foil-lined baking sheet, then roast at 425ºF until they are soft enough to pierce with the tip of a knife. Then you can peel them easily and proceed with a given recipe. Butternut squashes, though equally hard, have a smooth skin that you can peel away with a vegetable peeler (cut them in half first to make the task easier). Martha Rose Shulman