I LOVE HUBBARD SQUASH!

I LOVE HUBBARD SQUASH!

    They are HUGE ungainly things but they are quickly becoming my favorite squash!  Don't get me wrong.  I still love yellow, crookneck squash and zucchini but Hubbard squash is awesome!  It's a sweeter squash than say Acorn or Butternut squash.

   The hardest part is cutting it up.  The skin or peel is very hard.  The meat of it is pretty hard too, but not unworkable. 

    You can slice off a goodly chunk.  Scoop out the seeds and slime.  Preserve that for a later snack.  Without peeling put, skin side up it in a baking dish with a little water in the bottom of the dish. You might have to take one of the shelves out of your oven so it will fit.  Bake at 350* for about half an hour.  Flip onto skin side and brush the meaty side with melted butter.  You can sprinkle it with brown sugar or drizzle with maple syrup or, if you're not into sugar, just bake it as is.  Bake for another half hour.  It will be nice and tender now.  Just scoop it out and eat.

    Another option is to slice off pieces.  Be careful.  It's really a challenge, slicing this thing up because it's so hard.  Peel off the skin and remove a bit of the stringier part of the center.  Chop the remaining piece into cubes and boil in a pot on the stove with about an inch of salted water for about 20 minutes.   You can mash it or leave it cubed.  I add butter. 
    This is so delicious.  It's low in saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium. It's also a good source of Vitamin E, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese.  I also read that it's a good source of fiber.  Who doesn't love fiber?
    Of course, adding the salt and butter might change the low sodium and such.

Another good thing about winter squashes is that they tend to last a while in the fridge.  There is NO way that I could eat this whole thing in one meal!  It took me six meals to finish the last Hubbard squash I was given.  This one is even bigger so I think it's going to feed me for more than a week! I've been googling Hubbard squash recipes.  One spoke of baking apples and nuts in the bowl of the squash.  It all just sounds so delicious! 
I LOVE HUBBARD SQUASH!

Yum!