Ingredients
- Squash
- Olive or vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper (optional)
Preparation
For each recipe, start with 2 pounds of a dense, sweet, orange-fleshed winter squash like butternut, kabocha, sweet pie pumpkin or Hubbard. (If you are making both the soup and the cornbread, you will need 4 pounds total.)
Preheat oven to 400º. Cut the squash in half or into large pieces if it’s really big. Peel the squash, then scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Oil 2 baking sheets.
If you are making the cornbread, weigh out 1 pound of squash (a guesstimate is OK) and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Toss with olive or vegetable oil and place on 1 baking sheet. Place the remaining squash cut side down on another baking sheet.
Bake the cubes for 35–40 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Bake the pieces for 40–60 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
(It’s OK to make extra roasted squash. Keep it in the refrigerator. I put it in my breakfast smoothie, spread it on bread, eat it for dinner with pinto beans and salsa and use it to make the best-ever pumpkin pies.)