Squash casserole can suit many tastes

The buttercup squashes that we grew last summer kept awfully well this winter, no soft spots and their flavor was still very good until last week when I used the last of them in a casserole that we love. Now if you don’t happen to have buttercups (a blocky, dark green squash with a blue-green end) from your garden, you can certainly use butternuts, or even acorn squashes. These are good winter-keeping vegetables, and give me a fresh, yellow vegetable from October through April. If you have a garden and don’t know this squash, get some seeds this spring, and all you have to plant is one, maybe two, hills just to grow a get-acquainted crop.

I got the idea for this dish from my good old Moosewood Cookbook where it is called Chilean Squash. The original recipe calls for a bit more in the egg and cheese department than I now desire, well, actually, can metabolize. Sigh. Also it calls for green pepper which I find I like less than ripe red ones. The seasonings include garlic, cumin, coriander, and chili, not all of which are in everyone’s spice lineup, but you can use just the chili powder alone. I heartily recommend adding cumin to your supply if you don’t have it because it works in many dishes. I have cumin both ground and as seeds, and when I toast the seeds they are perfect for sprinkling on salads.

The great thing about this recipe is how flexible it is. Don’t worry about the quantities very much, and feel free to use what you have on hand. The corn amounts can vary as much as a cup more than called for. If you don’t have corn, use green beans or limas or something else. You can use a whole red pepper, or a green one if you like them; the squash can be any size. If you like garlic, put more in; if onions give you indigestion, leave them out. Sometimes for no reason in particular I saute celery with the onions. You can even leave the eggs out without any adverse side effects, and the cheese could be optional though I know if I left it out my husband, Jamie, would be disappointed. You can hustle this along by baking it in a shallow dish, but then you will need more cheese.

Feel free to make twice as much of this dish as you need, because the leftovers are terrific for soup. Just add chicken or vegetable broth to whatever you have left until it is as thick or thin as you like, add a dollop of sour cream or not, stir it up, taste, and adjust the seasonings. Voila: Savory Squash Soup.

Savory Squash Casserole

Serves 6 to 8 with some left for soup

2 onions, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red or green pepper, chopped

a bit of vegetable oil

1 buttercup squash (or about 4 cups) cooked and mashed

2 eggs

2 cups of cut cooked corn (one frozen box, or one can, or part of a bag)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

grated cheddar or jack cheese

Put the chopped onions, garlic and pepper in a saute or fry pan with just enough vegetable oil to cook them until they are a bit soft. Put the squash into a mixing bowl, and mash it together with the softened onions, peppers, and garlic. Stir in the two eggs, add the spices, salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon into a greased casserole dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake at 350 F until it is hot all through and the cheese is browned, about 40 minutes.