In order to experiment, I halved and baked 2 medium sized butternut squash.
I scooped out the flesh, mashed it, then put in a large deep skillet over
low heat to drive out as much moisture as I could. With this completed and
cooled, I reserved two cups of squash for later use, then divided the
remainder into two portions.

To one portion I sprinkled in light brown sugar and stirred until I had
just the right sweetness. It wasn't a lot and it wasn't overly sweet.
Next I dusted on immeasurable amounts of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace,
allspice, and salt. A very light spice taste. Last of all, I added a
couple of tablespoons of unsalted butter and 2-3 tablespoons of cream.
Finally, when heated and ready to serve, the consistency was somewhat like
good mashed potatoes and mounded nice on the plates. It was delicious and
virtually identical to the squash that I fondly remembered from a favorite
restaurant that inspired this experiment.

For the second portion, I sauteed half a diced sweet onion in vegetable oil
along with a small hot red pepper that had been chopped and seeded. To
this I added about a teaspoon of Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder, a scant half
teaspoon of Penzey's Garam Masala, and a scant half cup of coconut milk.
Lastly, I added the mashed squash and blended well. I cooked this over low
heat to firm up the texture, then served it with a sprinkling of chopped
cilantro. The finished dish had a nice mellow curry flavor with just a
little bite.

After sampling these two at separate meals, I froze portions of both to
enjoy later.

The reserved 2 cups of squash went into my favorite pumpkin pie recipe with
absolutely no changes. It reminded me more of pumpkin pies baked from
fresh pumpkin and far far better than any pie made with canned pumpkin.

I think the experiment was a great success, and thanks to all of you who
offered ideas and suggestions.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974


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