Winter squashes used to intimidate me: are you supposed to roast them face up or face down? Stuffed or empty? How long? How hot? And what do you do with the shell?
With all that uncertainty, I used to lament the change from summer Zucchini, which you can add to any meal at a moment's notice, to the hard stuff.
Then my sister started serving butternut squash with Brusell's sprouts and bacon at Thanksgiving, and after sucking down a couple of plates of that, I started looking for hard squashes everywhere.
I also learned more about preparing them. The first revelation was that you don't have to put them in the oven for an hour, which was always a problem for me: I can't wait that long. So learning that you can peel them and steam them or even braise them was a liberating revelation.
Peeling winter squashes takes some practice, however. Here's a link to a website with excellent instructions for handling hard squashes -- no matter what cooking method you choose.
And here's a link to a website that explains what you get from winter squashes -- besides the great taste.
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