I've had an acorn squash sitting on my kitchen counter for a while. Although it has been taking up space, I've purposely been setting it aside to use after the supplies of late summer and early fall crops are exhausted. Unlike these more perishable produce items, an acorn squash can theoretically last for months on end -- even without refrigeration -- and can be used at the drop of a hat when other vegetables aren't so plentiful. As last week's brief summer-like interlude fades into the more expected fall temperatures we're experiencing now, root crops, winter vegetables and fall fruits will be making more appearances at farmer's markets and grocery stores. And while you'll still be able to purchase vegetables grown in, say, South America or fruit grown in Indonesia in the off-season, the prospect of having virtually non-perishable produce lying around to be used at whim is very exciting -- that is, if you know what to do with it.
But first, back to this acorn squash business. I've been debating what I should do with it. I'm not going to lie -- I've never cooked an acorn squash before, so I was drawing a total blank. It's a vegetable not often seen on restaurant menus, and plus, with fruits and vegetables of all sorts available year round, we're no longer dependent on stored vegetables to sustain us through the winter.
Upon further research, I was amazed at both the variety of possible cooking methods and recipes available for acorn (and other types of) squash -- who knew? Pureed squash ravioli filling, pancakes, curried acorn squash bisque, squash risotto, the pasta-like strands of spaghetti squash, baked acorn squash filled with cranberry, ground beef or rice stuffing -- gathering from the few minutes I searched for recipe ideas, I found there is no limit to the creative options. But the beauty of these recipes lies in that they mostly require ingredients already on hand, such as flour, rice or easily stored root vegetables, such as potatoes, parsnips and onions. Browsing these recipes revealed the ease in which someone can whip up a timely, filling fall or winter meal -- as long as some of these readily storable vegetables have been purchased ahead of time.
Pumpkins are another versatile squash relative to keep handy. Like acorn squash, they can easily translate between the world of sweet confections (pumpkin pie, anyone? or pumpkin bread pudding?) and saltier dishes, such as casseroles and puréd soups. Depending on the additional ingredients with which they're paired, pumpkins serve as a hearty foil for spices, nuts and dried fruits. If you do purchase them, however, make sure you look for the smallish pumpkins whose labels explicitly say "pie pumpkin." Regular carving pumpkins, while still good for making roasted pumpkin seeds, are much tougher and stringier than these pie pumpkins. Once you bake the pumpkin, you can scoop out the flesh and either use it immediately or freeze it -- yet another way to prolong the life of this vegetable.
Though more perishable than hard-shelled winter squashes, fall fruits are also able to bridge the sweet versus savory divide. It's normal to immediately gravitate to thoughts of pie when you see apples, but what about cutting some up and cooking them right along with stuffing or adding them raw to chicken salad to impart a bit of sweetness? Pears are similarly versatile -- they're great served alongside hard cheeses, but they cook down well to accompany meats such as pork chops and sausages. Their low water contents, which make these fruits fairly dense, also increase their shelf lives. Some of the tastiest creations, however, arise from the last remaining days of an overripe apple or pear. I'm particular about only eating extra crisp apples, so if some are a bit past their prime, they're prime candidates for getting boiled into applesauce, where their mealy texture is of no consequence. Pears suffer a similar fate: Once sliced, they get simmered with white wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves into a syrupy compote. This combo accompanies ice cream as naturally as if it were hot fudge.
As you've hopefully gathered from this article, storing and using these fall and winter fruits and vegetables is super easy. Just keep them in a semi-warm (about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and dry location, and they'll seriously last for months on end -- although most peak at about two months or so, so the longer you wait, the more you might end up compromising on taste and texture.
All in all, once a bit of grunt work is invested to research their uses, it's encouraging to know some of these lesser-known vegetables are surprisingly accessible not only in terms of shelf life, but in the methods of cooking them as well. Though I'm still narrowing down the possibilities of how I'll cook this one acorn squash, I can take comfort in knowing that once I finally cook it and purchase another one, it'll buy me at least a little while to decide what to do on the second go-around.
Nora's column runs biweekly Wednesdays. She can be reached at nwhite@cavalierdaily.com.
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