In my home country, South Africa, we use butternut squash so extensively in cooking that we buy eight or ten at a time.
Butternut is so adaptable and can be used in a huge range of dishes and different cuisines. Across the globe it appears in recipes for stews, gratins, pasta dishes, risottos, soups and curries and it lends itself to many flavours, both savoury and sweet.
My favourite time and sanity saving tip for butternut squash is to create a freezer stash of roasted butternut squash cubes.
Here's a quick tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Rx9xLUMCQ
Got it? Great. Here are four things you might not know about this brilliant orange veggie:
- With many of the same health benefits and nutrients as sweet potato, butternut is a slow release carbohydrate, so it's great for stabilising blood sugar and making you feel fuller for longer. Also packed with beta carotene, it helps fight cancer cells and boosts our immune system and is especially useful in improving respiratory conditions like colds and flu.
- Butternut squash is a fantastic skin tonic, especially for healing uneven skin tone, sun damage and acne.
- Butternut has a much firmer texture than sweet potato so it's a much more for suitable for roasting and for recipes that require long, slow cooking, such as a tagine or curry. It compliments both sweet and savoury flavours and works in almost every cuisine.
- It's not just a baby food staple! Use simple olive oil, salt and pepper to season it or any of your favourite herbs and spices. Indian spices work particularly well to coat the squash before roasting. For something special try the Organic Herb Co. range, available in Dunnes Stores.
Well known food journalist and talk show regular Rozanne Stevens is the creative chef behind Makeaheadmealz.com group and private cookery lessons. For extra recipes and tips follow @MakeAheadMealz on Twitter or Instagram: @MakeAheadMealz.
