I bought the prettiest little squash the other day...
It's called a "carnival squash." I'd never heard of it before, but it was with all the other winter squash, of which I am quite fond. I couldn't resist that skin! It looked to me like it had been sponge painted. This particular squash was custom-made for one -- it's not much bigger than a grapefruit!
To me, the best way to eat sweet, orange-fleshed winter squash is to halve or slice it, brush it with a little olive oil, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, and roast it until it gets tender and caramelized. I didn't have the best of days today, so I thought a little caramelly roasted winter squash would be the perfect comfort. I sliced, oiled, salted, peppered, and roasted until I had this:
How could anyone resist that? I grabbed a fork, sat down, and scooped a bit of the flesh from its skin... and was gravely disappointed. It was nearly flavorless. It had none of that lovely soft, mealy sweetness that epitomizes winter squash. It had a taste and texture more like summer squash, of which I am not so fond. I don't know if this one was just too small, too "green," too young... but it just wasn't what I thought it should be. Maybe I'll try a bigger one another time... but for now, I'll stick to my tried-and-true favorite: buttercup squash. And the potatoes that are roasting in the oven as I write.
