Stuffed With Squash: Hubbard

It happens every day—you get carried away with a new shape, a bright color, an interesting name, and before you know it, you’ve arrived back in your home kitchen with a knobbly stranger of a squash and no idea how to cook it. Fear not, brave shopper—we’re here to help!

Let’s start with the Hubbard:

Hubbard squash, a member of the Cucurbita maxima family, is a blue, teardrop-shaped behemoth that can be used in a number of applications as a replacement for pumpkins. Named, according to one story at least, for Elizabeth Hubbard who first brought the squash to the attention of her seed-merchant neighbor, Hubbard squash is described as a “starchy, dry, thick, flaky, floury, melting, nutty and fine-textured winter squash…..with brilliant orange flesh” in The Compleat Squash by Amy Goodman.

Cooking Suggestions:
First, you have to get that sucker open! Experts assert that the best way to do this is to simply place the whole squash inside of a brown paper bag, and drop it onto the ground until it splits. Once you’ve cracked it, you might have to break it into subsequent smaller pieces to cook. You can start out simply by brushing the cleaned halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasting the squash in a pan filled with about ¼ inch of water (I like to put the squash ‘face-down’ on a sheetpan first, and then pour a little water into the pan once it’s in the oven) in a 350 degree oven until tender. (To brown/caramelize the surface, flip the squash pieces right side up towards the end of the cooking time, and either brush with more oil or dot with butter). Scoop the flesh out of the skin with a fork or a spoon and enjoy!

For something a little less rustic, you can also make a delicious maple-pecan Hubbard squash mash, by scooping the cooked squash flesh out of the skin, and adding ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup heavy cream, and a few tbs. of butter to the squash before mashing it into smoothness with a potato masher. (You could also make this a puree by blending it in the food processor, or, put the squash through a potato ricer for a finer, fluffier texture, before adding the additional ingredients). Top with toasted pecans, and you’ve got yourself a sweet side dish for any fall gathering!

For more ideas, visit the recipe section of the Whole Foods Market website, and search for ‘Butternut squash’—Hubbard’s a great, less-sweet substitute in a lot of these recipes!