NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

September 17, 1998

Prairie Fare: A Seasonsational Cookie

People who say they don't like fall simply can't have lived in this neck of the woods, or for that matter, anywhere with deciduous trees. While mauve or taupe might look OK on a house's exterior or a few of its interior walls, the great outdoors, to my way of thinking, is better served by the deep reds, oranges, golds, and yellows of autumn.

And so it is with food this time of year. The pastels that signify springtime and its delicacies, along with the vibrant hues of summer, no longer hold the same allure. Gone are my cravings for the whispered crispness of asparagus and those supple leaves of garden lettuce. Fading from my thoughts now are images of vine-ripened tomatoes and blossoming cucumbers. With the briskness of each delayed dawn, my appetite increases for earth tones, a palette for the palate, including beets, carrots, rutabagas, sweet potatoes and, of course, winter squash, those varieties that we harvest when the fruits are fully mature and the rinds are hard.

I'm particularly fond of spaghetti and buttercup squash, although when I've got a taste for stuffed squash I usually select acorn. If you like blue cheese, try spaghetti squash fixed with melted butter, crumbled blue cheese and some chopped walnuts. If you roast the walnuts briefly in your oven, you'll be surprised at how this simple effort makes a great nut even more interesting.

Another unusual way to serve spaghetti squash is with pesto, a combination of olive oil, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese and ground nuts (either pine nuts or walnuts). Be forewarned that store-bought pesto is pricey, about $3 for a 2- or 3-ounce jar. My wife, Nicki, makes homemade pesto that I think is well worth her effort. You can find pesto recipes in many herb or specialty cookbooks and if you've got Internet access, I'm sure your favorite search engine could yield plenty of ideas.

I like buttercup squash served in more traditional ways. Split one in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp, and season each half only with salt, pepper and a few dabs of butter before baking wrapped in foil. Sometimes simple is sensational. But if you've got family members who've yet to acquire a taste for this cousin to a cucumber, maybe you'd better opt for a recipe where the virtues of squash are a little less obvious, like the one that follows, which is one of Nicki's adaptations.

Autumn Gems

Yield: 3 dozen
Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup white granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup cooked, mashed buttercup squash (cooled slightly)
¾ cup canola oil
½ cup orange juice
2 eggs
2 cups raisins

Procedure:

Mix oats, flour, soda, spices and sugars and set aside. Stir together well the squash, canola oil, orange juice and eggs. Combine flour and squash mixtures, add raisins and blend well. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking pans. Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans and cool on wire racks.

What's Your Take on This, Julie?

Color not only adds visual appeal, but it can also offer cues for nutrient content. Colorfully ripe squash, one of the tipoffs of autumn, provides vitamin A (as beta carotene), fiber, potassium and other vitamins and minerals. A cup of squash contains about 115 calories and only a trace of fat.

The gold or orange flesh of squash signals the presence of beta carotene, the carotenoid pigment that's also responsible for the color of carrots. In fact the rich red, gold and orange palette of nature's autumn is made possible by the presence of more than 500 different carotenoid pigments. Carotenoids in leaves are hidden by chlorophyll, a green pigment, until fall when the leaves turn a variety of hues. Likewise, some green vegetables like broccoli and dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce are good sources of carotenes.

About 50 carotenoids in foods can be converted to vitamin A by the body. Vitamin A is important for healthy skin and eyes. That's why it's important to try to eat some dark green, orange or dark-gold vegetables or fruits, like broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe or mangos every day. But remember that color is not necessarily an assurance of carotene content. Corn, for example, does not provide beta carotene, but it does provide other nutrients.

Squash can be used in many different ways. Most squash are interchangeable in recipes, but some are better suited for specific purposes. Acorn, buttercup, butternut and hubbard are just a few of the many varieties available.

Acorn squash, shaped as the name suggests, has a dark-green shell with areas of orange. Its mealy texture is ideal for baking. Buttercup squash features a round shape and turban top and is green with grayish stripes. Its dry texture and mild flavor make it most suitable for boiling, mashing and seasoning.

Butternut squash has a cylindrical shape and a thick neck. With a medium-sweet flavor and moist texture, this squash variety is delicious sliced into rings and baked.

Hubbard squash has a long shape with tapering ends, a somewhat warty appearance, and a bluish, gray, green or orange-red shell. The flesh's texture makes this squash suitable for baking or boiling.

Check out the following NDSU Extension Service Web address for tips on storing squash: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/hortcrop/h912w.htm.

Squash can be used in soups, stews, casseroles, vegetable side dishes, breads, pies and even cookies, as shown in this week's recipe. At 130 calories and only 5 grams of fat, each "Autumn Gem" cookie also provides some vitamin A as beta carotene and fiber, along with B vitamins and iron.

This fall enjoy the colors of the season, and be sure to color your plate with nutrient-rich dark green, gold or orange vegetables or fruits.

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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

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