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Food & Drink

For the love of gourd

THE FORTH 629 Danforth, 416-465-2629, theforth.ca, @TheForthTO


How to pick it

Look for a firm skin with no soft or mouldy parts or bruises. Don’t worry if the colour isn’t uniform or if there are some barnacle-like splotches on them. A squash doesn’t need refrigeration – it can last for weeks when stored in a cool dark place.

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How to cook it

“Your choices are either roasting or boiling,” says Kalisperas. “But when you boil it, it becomes really soggy and hard to work with unless you’re puréeing it into a soup. Even then you have to add a lot of flavour to it.”

That’s why he prefers roasting (for the home cook, it’s 400°F for 45 minutes to an hour). “When roasted, it becomes more flavourful since the natural sugars caramelize. I’ve never tried a raw squash, but I imagine it’d just dry your mouth out.”


Squash: 4 ways

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Buttercup squash tart

The buttercup squash is best characterized as a little green pumpkin with the occasional splotch of bright orange on the skin. When you splice it open you’ll see that seeds take up most of the inside, so if you want to make a soup, Kalisperas says it’s better to opt for the butternut squash, which has a higher flesh-to-seeds ratio.

The chef roasts and purées the squash with eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper to make a savoury custard. He then pours it into a mini-piecrust, bakes it and then finishes it with a horseradish cream.

“The cream was made by whipping 35 per cent cream and ground horseradish, but if you don’t want to do that at home, you can just mix sour cream and horseradish,” he says.

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Sweet dumpling squash crostini

“If you’re entertaining and want something quick and simple, a crostini is the way to go,” he says. “I wanted to move away from a bruschetta since it’s fall, so I replaced tomatoes with squash.”

The roasted squash is simply peeled, puréed, mixed with grated parmesan, salt and pepper and spread on pieces of grilled bread that’ve been brushed with olive oil and salt. Kalisperas then adds slices of lardo (cured pork fat), puts them back into the oven for 30 seconds to slightly melt it, and finally garnishes them with more cheese, some basil leaves and drops of a nice balsamic vinegar.

The slightly melted pork fat blankets the squash for a salty finish, and the basil and vinegar add a fresh pop to the first bite.

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Stuffed acorn squash

The peculiar ridges of the acorn squash make it look like a Christmas ornament, so why not show off its cool shape by serving it whole?

Kalisperas slices it in half, removes the seeds and rubs it with salt, pepper, curry powder and grape seed oil.

“Don’t use olive oil when roasting a squash,” he says. “Use a grape seed or canola oil because olive oil will begin to smoke when you’re roasting it at high temperatures.”

The roasted squash is then stuffed with an earthy mixture of wild rice and foraged mushrooms like hen of the woods and cinnamon caps. A curried yogurt drizzle adds a contrasting tartness to the mushrooms and rice while some fried Brussels sprout leaves on top add a crispy garnish.

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Pepper squash dipping sauce

The starchy nature of squash lends itself well to making thick dipping sauces.

“Remember to add a bit of butter or cream when puréeing squash or else it won’t be as smooth,” Kalisperas says. “This squash caramelizes really nicely when you roast it, and after blending it, toss in some blue cheese and a bit of maple syrup for a squash dipping sauce.”

Kalisperas pairs this sweet and cheesy sauce with sweetbreads, but you can try it with chicken wings or fries.

All photos by David Laurence

Don’t miss: What about the leftover pumpkins?

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