• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds. If the squash is very large, cut each half in half again, crosswise this time.

3. Place the squash, cut side down, on the olive oil coating. Put the tray in the oven, and roast the squash until it is tender enough to easily insert a fork or a sharp knife into the flesh: 15 to 20 minutes for delicata, 35 to 40 minutes for acorn or butternut.

4. Remove the tray from the oven, and let the squash pieces rest for about 10 minutes before turning them over. Serve hot or warm, in the skin, with forks for mashing and/or spoons for scooping.

DELICATA A SQUASH WORTH ITS STRIPES

The next time you’re hunting for produce, check out delicata squash. They’re small (averaging about ½ pound) pale yellow ovals with bright orange and deep green stripes—often so beautiful that you might want to keep a bowlful around just to look at. When you cut them open, you’ll see a large seed cavity and flesh that tends to be only ½-inch thick, or less. Thus, they cook in about half the time of their winter squash cousins. And their flavor is subtle to the point of ethereal.

* * *

GET CREATIVE

It’s fun to have an assortment of condiments at the table and let each person customize his or her squash. Use any of the following:

Butter, at room temperature

Salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Brown sugar

Real maple syrup

Pomegranate seeds and/or pomegranate molasses (see Get Cooking)

Wedges of lemon or lime

Chopped crystallized ginger

Chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

* * *

SQUASH FOR ALL SEASONS

Most types of squash are available most of the time, yet we still refer to some as summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck, pattypan) and others as winter squash (butternut, acorn, delicata). The categories really have more to do with characteristics than with seasons. Summer squash have thin, edible skin and very pale, tender flesh with negligible seeds (all of which traits are especially evident in smaller, younger specimens), and they cook very, very quickly on a stovetop or grill. They’re also quite perishable and need to be refrigerated. Winter squash, on the other hand, are encased in hard, inedible skin, tend to have golden-hued, sturdy flesh, and contain a pocket of seeds that you need to remove. (Not unlike when you make a jack-o’-lantern. In fact, pumpkins are a type of winter squash. But you knew that.) Winter squash have a long larder life, meaning you don’t need to refrigerate them; they will keep for weeks if stored out of direct sunlight. Winter squash is usually baked unpeeled, in seeded halves, and then the flesh is often scooped out and made into some other fine concoction (such as the soup on Chapter 1: Soups). Rarely is it just presented on its own, playing itself, totally unscripted and with no makeup. And this is a shame, because “just plain” winter squash is a delightful thing—sweet from its own natural character, delicate in flavor, and full of excellent nutrients (most notably fiber and vitamins) with very few calories.

party snacks.

CROSTINI, ANY STYLE (LITTLE ITALIAN TOASTS)

BOCCONCINI SKEWERS (FRESH MOZZARELLA BALLS WITH BASIL AND TOMATOES)

GUACAMOLE

HUMMUS

PEPPY PEPITAS

SLIGHTLY SWEET CAJUN-SPICED NUTS

BACON-WRAPPED FRUIT BITES

LUXURY POTATO BITES

Download These Apps

If chips and salsa are your favorite things to serve when people come over to hang out, that’s fine. If you’re ready to graduate to the next level, go with good bread and a few great cheeses. Next, you might consider adding a bunch of grapes, some thinly sliced apples, some dried cherries or figs, and some olives to the mix. And then you’ll be ready to ratchet things up another notch with your own brilliant homemade party snacks and appetizers.

That’s where these recipes come in. They’ll tell you what you need to know to serve “heavy apps” to your friends. To supplement them, consider other ideas from elsewhere in this book, repurposed as party food—ideas like Roasted Fingerlings (Chapter 7: Sides), mini meatballs (see Chapter 3: Pastas),