How to peel, prep and cook winter squash

It’s decorative gourd season, but it’s also edible gourd season. Swing by any farmers market these days and you’ll be greeted with a rainbow of winter squash in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors.

They’re so tempting you might be hauling a few home before you even know what you’re going to do with them. Need a primer? Here are tips to make the most of this seasonal specialty.

Pick the right one. Look for winter squash that are hard, heavy and free of mold or too many blemishes. A deep-colored exterior is a good sign, too. Depending on what you’re making, the varieties can be somewhat interchangeable. You’re going to get a yellow to orange flesh, with varying degrees of firmness and sweetness. Kabocha, for example, are firmer and drier, so they’re great for when you want a squash to hold its shape, such as in a curry. Delicata, as the name suggests, have a thin skin that is easy to eat. Butternut and acorn are both ubiquitous and versatile, the former boasting a marked sweet flavor and the latter a more mild one. Spaghetti squash is a class in its own, with a tender flesh that separates into somewhat glassylooking threads. The massive Hubbard makes for an impressive stuffed holiday main course. That’s just scraping the surface. When in doubt, ask your farmers market vendor, although at this time of year, many will post a guide along with their display.

Prep it. When you want or need to peel a winter squash, I’ve found that microwaving it first hugely helps. Prick the squash in a couple of spots and then nuke it for a few minutes. The exterior will soften to make getting the peel off easier without necessarily cooking the inside. Even if the inside doesn’t get noticeably softer, you’ll have less trouble cutting it up, too.

Speaking of cutting, this is where it can get a bit nerve-racking. Some folks recommend using a cleaver, but a) I don’t own one and b) if I did, I’d probably be too afraid to use it. If you’re in the same boat, find the biggest, sharpest knife you have and get carving. You can steady the squash on a damp dish towel, or slice a thin plank off a side or two to make it rest flat on your board (again, that will be easier to do if you’ve first popped it in the microwave). You may need to rotate the squash — carefully — as you work your knife through it rather than going straight down in one cut. If you have a butternut, separate the straight trunk from the rounded bulb end and then continue breaking it down into the size pieces you want.

However you plan to cook it, you’re going to want to take out the seeds. Most of the time I just use a large soup spoon, but my Post buddy Kara Elder recently demonstrated how well a large, shallow ice cream scoop can work, too. Whatever you use, scrape out the seeds and the stringy flesh holding them in. If you like, you can roast them. Remove as much flesh as you can, and then you can swish them in some water to get rid of even more. Don’t worry about getting every last speck. Toss with olive oil, salt, your choice of spices and roast on a baking sheet at 300 degrees or so until they’re dry, toasty and just browning.

Cook it. There are so many ways to cook winter squash. Roasting is an obvious choice. You can roast halves in the oven at 350 to 400 degrees until soft (probably close to an hour, especially for larger varieties), cut side up or down depending on whom you ask. Or chop it into pieces for a much faster bake. There’s also the microwave route, which is the logical conclusion to the peeling strategy. You just let the squash go until it’s completely soft. Steaming is another possibility. The Post’s Deputy Food editor Bonnie S. Benwick likes to slice squash, put it in a shallow glass dish with some wa- ter and cook on high in the microwave, anywhere from 4 to 7 minutes. If you’re one of the many people who now counts an Instant Pot/multicooker among your favorite kitchen appliances, it can make very quick work of a squash, whether it’s in pieces resting on the steam rack or halves nestled above some liquid.

As to what to make, you have lots of options. Use winter squash in soup, whether it’s pureed or left in chunks. Add pieces to salad and risotto. Scoop, stuff and bake. Incorporate flesh into muffins and quick breads, or use it in a pie instead of sweet potato. Slices are nice on a wintry sandwich.

Here are two recipes from our archives. 8 servings

MAKE AHEAD: The roasted squash and dressing can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days in advance; reheat the squash, covered, in a 300degree oven until warmed through, then cut into slices and apply the dressing and garnishes.

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger. Ingredients

3 acorn squash, halved

lengthwise and seeded 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons

olive oil

2 tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup hulled, unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), raw or roasted

1½ teaspoons chopped fresh

thyme

1 tablespoon pomegranate

molasses

L cup pomegranate seeds

(arils; from ½ pomegranate) Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the cut sides of the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, then with the honey. Place the squash halves cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the salt and cinnamon; roast for 1 hour, until tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a small skillet over mediumhigh heat. Stir in the pumpkin seeds and thyme; cook, stirring, until the seeds are aromatic and toasted. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Once the squash is done and cool enough to touch, transfer the liquid that accumulated in each half to a medium bowl.

Cut each roasted squash half into 4 slices, and arrange them on a platter.

Whisk the pomegranate molasses into the reserved juices in the bowl to form a dressing; drizzle it over the squash wedges. Sprinkle with the herbed pumpkin seeds and the pomegranate seeds.

Serve warm or at room temperature. 8 servings

(makes about 10½ cups) MAKE AHEAD: The pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container (separately) for up to 3 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger. Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash (about

4 pounds)

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil

L cup whole roasted, unsalted almonds, plus ¼ cup, coarsely chopped, for garnish

1 small clove garlic

3 cups loosely packed arugula

leaves

1 cup loosely packed basil

leaves

½ cup packed freshly grated

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground

black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons water Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds, discarding them or reserving them for another use. Brush the cut sides of the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil total, then place the halves, cut sides down, in a large, shallow baking dish. Add just enough water to the baking dish to reach ½ inch up the sides. Roast for about 45 minutes, until the squash is tender, then transfer the squash to a work surface and allow it to cool slightly, 10 minutes. Use a fork to scrape out the squash flesh, transferring it to a mixing bowl as you work; cover loosely to keep it warm. Discard any water left in the baking dish and the spent squash halves.

Meanwhile, make the pesto: Combine the L cup of almonds and the garlic in a food processor; puree until finely ground. Add the arugula, basil, ¼ cup of the cheese, the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the water. Puree; while the machine is running, add the remaining ¼ cup of oil in a slow, steady stream to form an emulsified, brightgreen pesto. Add the remaining tablespoon of water if the pesto seems too thick.

Spoon the pesto over the cooked squash in the bowl; toss with tongs to coat. Garnish with the remaining cheese and the chopped almonds. Serve warm or at room temperature.