It was a banner year for winter squash in the valley this summer, even if my crop was underwhelming. I purchased five or six delicata from the co-op and two beautiful Winter Luxury pumpkins from Crooked Furrow Farm, saved a very yummy Sunshine squash from the CSA, and hauled home some Butternut and Blue Hubbard from Sunbow. They have been resting peacefully in the larder, lined up on the shelves to the left, for the past three months while I hunt down recipes in all of my cookbooks.

We have eaten:

1.      Squash bread (add 1-1.5 cups of squash to basic bread dough)

2.      Pumpkin quick bread with chocolate chips

3.      Pumpkin muffins

4.      pumpkin pie

5.      cream of squash soup

6.      Soup with squash, beans, and tomatoes

7.      roast delicata with sage

8.      roast delicata with almonds and dried tomatoes

9.      Squash with red pepper, corn, and cheddar cheese (Moosewood)

10.  Squash gnocchi

11.  baked squash with curried lentils (Recipes from the Root Cellar)

12.  Braised squash with apples (same)

13.  Risotto with squash

14.  Pumpkin Shepard’s pie (Sunset)

15.  Lasagna with squash and kale, tomato sauce (twice!)

And it is only January. There are still seven squash on the shelf. Squash pizza, anyone?

Cream of Squash Soup:

Bake a squash. Peel it and puree.

Sautee a chopped onion in butter and oil until well done and lightly browned. No sharp onions here!

Add the squash—about 2/3 of a cup per person. You can always use the extra in bread or muffins or gnocchi, or….

Add milk until the desired thickness—I like a pretty heavily squashed soup, myself. A little cream is nice…

Season with salt, pepper and allspice—a light pinch.

Warm slowly. Eat with muffins and salad.