Roasted butternut squash is a simple and healthy meal for fall. The flesh tastes somewhat like pumpkin, and the squash can be substituted for pumpkin in many recipes.

Janet Majure had to invent butternut squash ravioli out of necessity.

This year, the Rolling Prairie Farmers Alliance has enjoyed an abundance of the yellow squash. And there’s only so much soup and plain squash one can eat, it turns out.

“As hot as it’s been, I didn’t want to hold onto these until it’s cold enough to make soup,” says Majure, a Lawrence foodie and freelance writer who runs the blog www.foodperson.com. “I had to figure what else I could do with them.”

The ravioli she ended up recently, which also included goat cheese and a hazelnut-browned butter sauce, was a hit.

Butternut squash is in the winter squash family, which also includes spaghetti, acorn and buttercup squashes.

While the butternut variety, Majure says, is good by itself – perhaps with a little cheese – or in vegetable soups, it can be substituted for pumpkin in many recipes.

“The flesh of it is very much like pumpkin,” she says. “It may be a little drier, but it’s the same deep orange, dense flesh.”

Here some more facts and tips for using butternut squash:

¢ Selection: Clemson University’s Garden Information Center offers these tips for selecting winter squash:

“Look for firm squash that feels heavy for its size. Rinds should have a dull sheen and be intact and hard. Slight variations in color are not important.

“If the stem is still attached, it should be rounded and dry, not shriveled, blackened or moist. Do not buy squash that is soft or has a cracked, watery, decayed or shiny rind.”

¢ Vitamins and minerals: Butternut squash is a good source of beta-carotene and vitamin C, and it’s low in calories.

¢ Storage: The Clemson center says it’s safe to store winter squash up to three months if it’s stored in a cool, dry place. Don’t wash it before it’s stored.

If it’s cut into pieces, use it within a week.

¢ Basic cooking: Clemson researchers offer these instructions for basic cooking:

“Wash squash and pierce several times with a knife. Place in a baking dish and bake, uncovered. If using a conventional oven, the baking temperatures can vary between 325 degrees and 400 degrees. This is handy if you want to use the oven to bake another food at the same time. You save time and energy by the two foods sharing the oven. Baking time will vary according to the temperature of the oven and the size of the squash. At a higher cooking temperature, a small squash may be done in 45 minutes. A large squash at a low temperature may take 1 1/2 hours.

“If using a microwave, cook on full power 6 to 7 minutes. Turn squash over and rotate. Cook for another 6 to 7 minutes.

“Test for doneness by pushing on the rind with a potholder. Squash is done when it ‘gives’ slightly. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Cut open and remove strings and seeds.

“Squash is ready for mashing or serving as pieces with a little margarine or seasoning.”

Butternut vegetable soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 jalapeno, minced

2 bell peppers, diced, preferably 1 green and 1 red

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, including their juice

4 cups water

Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onions; cook 2 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, basil, jalapeno, bell peppers and squash; cook about 2 minutes more, until onions are soft.

Add salt, cumin, coriander, beans, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes, or until peppers and squash are tender.

– source: Janet Majure (adapted from a recipe in “Beyond the Moon Cookbook”)

Butternut squash ravioli with hazelnut-browned butter sauce

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

1/3 cup hazelnuts

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup unsalted butter, divided

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

2 ounces grated goat cheddar

1 (16-ounce) package egg roll wrappers

Put squash halves, flesh sides down, on baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees about 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. (Insert fork through skin to test.) Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, scoop out and mash flesh with fork. Discard skin.

Turn off oven, and place hazelnuts in it about 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from oven, place nuts on towel and rub to remove loose skins. Discard skins, and chop nuts coarsely.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onion, sage, salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add onion mixture to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well. This is the filling.

Cut a wrapper quarters, yielding four (approximately 3-inch) squares. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of one square. Brush edges with water and place another square on top. Press out air, and press edges together firmly to seal. Or, if you prefer less dough, place a tablespoon filling on a square, wet the edges and pull the corners and sides of dough together to surround the filling (like a dumpling). Press out air, then press edges firmly to seal.

Set aside on lightly greased pan or on dry kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining filling and wrappers. You may have wrappers left over. Turn raviolis occasionally to dry slightly.

Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a low boil.

Meanwhile, melt 1/3 cup butter in skillet over medium heat. Add hazelnuts and cook until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches as follows. Add ravioli to barely boiling water and cook 4 minutes, or until they rise to surface. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a buttered shallow baking pan. Cover with foil and keep warm in oven.

When all ravioli are cooked, place on individual plates and top with butter sauce.

– source: Janet Majure (adapted from a recipe in “The Gourmet Cookbook”)

Butternut squash lasagna

1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 medium-to-large yellow onions, sliced into rings

Pinch of sugar

1 pound lasagna noodles (regular, no boil or refrigerated)

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

2 cups 2-percent milk, heated in the microwave 1-2 minutes until warm, but not boiling

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel butternut squash, slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. Spread out in an even layer on a half sheet pan. Roast 35-45 minutes, turning once or twice, until butternut squash is browned and fork-tender. Remove from oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute 1 to 2 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the pinch of sugar and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking onions until they become very soft and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

If you’re using regular lasagna noodles, prepare them according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse.

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 2 minutes. Add the milk all at once, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the sauce cook about 5 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.

Transfer the butternut squash to a food processor. Add the ricotta cheese and nutmeg. Process until smooth.

To assemble the lasagna, spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place about 1/4 cup of the white sauce on the bottom of the pan. Top with enough lasagna noodles to cover (it doesn’t matter if you have to cut the noodles to fit). Top with half of the caramelized onions, then half of the butternut squash mixture and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Top with another layer of sauce, then the noodles, the remaining caramelized onions, butternut squash mixture and the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Finish off with a layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce and the mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes. Allow the lasagna to rest at least 20 minutes (30 minutes is even better) before serving.

– source: www.healthycooking.suite101.com

Butternut squash flan

1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved length-wise and seeded

1 1/2 cups whole milk

4 large egg whites

2 large eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line large-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick liner.

Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet and roast until completely tender when pierced with knife, 40 to 50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh, discarding skin and measure 1 1/2 cups into food processor. (Reserve remainder for another use.)

Scrape squash flesh from its skin, place 1 1/2 cups in food processor, and set aside.

In double boiler or metal bowl, pour warm milk over pan of simmering water until steaming, add to squash in processor and puree until very smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Add egg whites, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and process until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Divide batter evenly among 18 (3-ounce) or 9 (5-ounce) ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins in large roasting pan and add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover entire pan with foil and bake until flans are set in the middle, 22 to 25 minutes for 3-ounce ramekins or 32 to 35 minutes for 5-ounce ramekins.

Transfer roasting pan to cooling rack and let flans rest in water, uncovered, until room temperature, then remove ramekins from water and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.

Serve flans in ramekins, or slide flexible knife around side of each ramekin, pulling up slightly from bottom to break seal, then cover with dessert plate and invert to unmold. Garnish with fruit and mint sprigs and serve.

– source: www.epicurious.com