More than butter and garlic, please!

No, this is not a 'Guess what this is' post.

It's a 'please help me with ideas' post.

I found these beauties in Wild Oats earlier today. We had enjoyed a great sweet sausage and apple Crispani at Panera and ambled over to Wild Oats in search of organic local vegetables.

I had never seen anything quite as charming as these adorable sunburst squash before. Apparently they are sweetish in flavor and are a delicious summer squash.

Well, I am looking for ideas that go beyond sauté in butter with some minced garlic.

Anyone have any interesting recipes or ideas for me to try out?


Prita said...

You could try stuffing them. I usually do a mixture of wild mushrooms, onions, brown rice,herbs and nuts..and top it with some grated cheese..bake in the oven till the cheese melts.
Blanch the squash first until slightly tender and then cut off the tops off to stuff. You could use the flesh of the squash in the stuffing too..

Anupama said...

Manisha, if this is a sweet tasting squash it will make a delicious soup.

KrishnaArjuna said...

May be you can make a soup out of it or a tart or even vegetable lasagna..
choices are endless :-)

Manisha said...

Prita, that sounds like a good idea. Stuffing them would retain their lovely shape!

Anupama, a souper idea! One thing I want to try to do is to have the lovely scalloped edges add to the 'good looks' of the dish. I'm not sure how to do that in a soup.

KA, so true! I came across a Louisiana recipe for stuffed squash. A combination of that and Prita's idea sounds good! I was hoping someone would have a must-do or must-try recipe with these!

Mythili said...

Or you could go ahead and make kheer/halwa with it :)

It's alright you can mail me the check (my ideas are not free) to the address in your email.


archana said...

May i suggest a bisque ? Something closer to a pumpkin bisque.
Probabaly we can split it open and bake it topped with some maple syrup and brown sugar ( like you do with a butternut squash)

What about a regular pie or a savory tart with chesse and herbs and all?

A mousse just like a pumpkin mousse ?

Whatever you decide to make , i am sure it is going to be splendid. Do keep us posted.

Diane said...

I stuff these - you can do an Italian mixture by sauteeing the chopped "top and hollowed out bits" of the squash, onion and garlic. Add thyme or other herbs to taste and breadcrumbs.

Or you could probably do an Indian type of stuffing - like you would do for brinjals or the like.

Manisha said...

Mythili, tch! tch! No check for you! Neither Medha nor I are fans of kheer. Only my husband is and in this case, the girls win! There is only one type of kheer I like - it's a South Indian kheer made in the pressure cooker and is mainly milk with almonds and some rice. I used to make it years ago but have forgotten how.

Archana, so many ideas! I am intrigued by the bisque, but am leaning towards stuffing them to retain their lovely shape and hopefully, color, too.

Diane, stuffing them with a spicy filling and some meat, either shrimp or ground meat, is what I think I will do. I am just not sure which end I slice off in order to stuff them. I would like to slice off the scalloped end because I could then put it back on as a 'hat' but then the base is rather narrow and they might all just tip over! Which part do you slice off?

Anupama, I made your khaarachi mirchi a short while ago and had a question for you. Let me know!

shilpa said...

Masniha, those look lovely, so whatever you try with them, please post here. So that even I can try it :D.

Diane said...

I slice off the stem side, and sort of "hollow out" the insides a bit. That way the top can be a "hat". But usually it never makes it as far as a hat as it gets all chopped up.

Good luck!

It's funny - I'm not a big fan of zucchini (too watery), but I love these little guys. Must be the "cute" factor.

Manisha said...

Shilpa, I made stuffed sunburst squash on Friday. I will make a post within this week.

Diane, thanks for that! I did slice it off from near the stem and they didn't have a problem standing up. This squash was not a hit with the family :-( and they love zucchini. I was the only one who really enjoyed it.