Puree of Butternut or LI Cheese Squash

This is a great side dish, and is quite flexible regarding seasonings. With its naturally sweet profile, these squashes do well seasoned with sweet or savory flavors, or both. Curry, cinnamon, garlic, sage, ginger-all of these alone or in combination can work. You can even add some apple juice into the mix. This method takes more work than simply steaming and pureeing the squash, but I think it coaxes a lot more flavor out so I am willing to take the time. The sautéing caramelizes the squash and brings out the sweetness and nutty qualities, where a simple steaming or boiling may leave you with more of a “green” vegetable flavor.

METHOD:
Toss the squash into a large non-reactive bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss until the squash is lightly coated. Sprinkle with sugar, trying to get it all over the squash.

Heat a large sauteuse (Wide straight sided sauté pan) over medium-high heat. When hot, lightly film the pan with oil. When hot, add the squash to the toss. Cook until all the sides are lightly browned and you can smell the squash and sugar caramelizing a little.

Carefully pour in just enough hot water to barely cover the squash. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the squash is tender throughout.

Remove the squash from the water and set aside and keep warm. Turn up the heat on the remaining liquid and boil until reduced to a syrup.

Taste it. If it is bitter, try adding a little honey or sugar to balance the flavor. Remove form the heat.

Puree the squash using a food mill, stand-mixer, or processor as you choose. If using a mill, mill the squash and then season and add the butter/oil and reduced liquid and use a spatula to incorporate the ingredients. If using a mixer or processor, break down the squash first, then add the salt and pepper, some of the butter/oil, and the reduction. Puree the squash and taste. Add more butter/and or oil as needed, and add flavorings to taste.

If the squash seems bitter, add sweetener and mix in well. If the dish tastes flat, remove a few tablespoons from the pan and try using salt on some. If it is not needing salt, try adding a little vinegar such as balsamic, mixing it in. If the puree seems too wet, tip it into a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and cook until you see a lot of steam coming off and the puree thickens a bit. If it seems really thick and sluggish but has a good taste, add a little more butter or oil and see if that does it. Try not to add a lot of water as it will dilute the flavor.

Serve hot.

Chef’s Notes and Tips:
This is an easy dish to execute, and a great one to learn from. The squash will always vary a bit in flavor, so learning the way to balance the flavors as discussed in the second to last paragraph is a great tip for cooking in general. I like to add garlic and cinnamon to the puree along with some ginger. I usually grate fresh ginger and squeeze the juice in while pureeing, or sometimes and just add a mince of fresh ginger into the pan before adding the squash. Frying a lot of sage leaves in the pan before adding the squash will flavor the puree, and before adding the squash to the pan, pull the leaves and dry on paper towels and use the delicate fried leaves as a flavorful garnish. You could also use curry powder to season the dish and garnish with a frizzle of fried shallot rings. If you have toasted pumpkin seed oil, this dish can be rendered quite elegant with a drizzle of this oil and a scattering toasted hulled pepitas. I have also used apple cider in the cooking liquid, which I then reduced to a syrup and added into the puree for a sweet flavor. (This dish was originally a “baby food”, but I liked it so much I started feeding it to whoever was over at the time to many accolades.) You can even add some small bits of sautéed apple to the puree for contrast.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen