Cutting sugar in savory butternut squash dishes
In making savory dishes--specifically ravioli or soups, I find the sweetness of the butternut squash to be a little much. I typically roast the squash with onions, and this only concentrates the sugars.
What are my options for adding something to reduce the (for me) overpowering sweetness of these dishes?
Best Answer
Ruth Lively at Fine Cooking has a similar problem and suggests:
Orange or lemon juice (or zest) adds brightness and zing. A splash of vinegar helps, too.
Tomatoes, which are both sweet and acidic, make a bridge for full-flavored squash dishes.
Sharp cheeses like Asiago, Parmesan, feta, and goat cheese lend a salty note and highlight the nutty side of squash’s flavor.
Robust herbs, such as sage, rosemary, and thyme, work with the earthy qualities of the squash, yet still offer an assertive contrast to its sweet side, too.
Bold spices like cumin, coriander, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, ginger, and curry have a natural affinity to squash, making the perfect
bridge from earthy to intriguing.
You may also consider substituting a differing squash; Royal Oak Farm Orchardhas a nice guide (pdf) to many squashes and includes sweetness among the descriptions.
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How do you counteract the sweetness of butternut squash?
A little bit of a bold flavor can do the trick When I cook with butternut squash, I always use one of these assertive ingredients to balance the sweetness: Orange or lemon juice (or zest) adds brightness and zing. A splash of vinegar helps, too.Is there a lot of sugar in butternut squash?
As for nutrition, a cup of cooked cubed butternut squash has just 80 calories, 22 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of sugars, and supplies an impressive array of nutrients.Can you lose weight eating butternut squash?
One cup of cubed butternut squash has about 3 grams of satiating fiber and only 63 calories with less than 1 gram of fat. That makes it a phenomenal weight-loss food. More specifically, butternut squash offers some soluble fiber, which has been found to reduce appetite and calorie intake.Is butternut squash good for diabetics?
Its fiber helps with blood sugar. Butternut squash contains a type of fiber that's not digestible. If you have diabetes, it can help keep your blood sugar from rising after eating. Butternut squash also has a low glycemic index, which means that its carbs are digested more slowly.BUTTERNUT SQUASH | how to peel \u0026 cut + roasted butternut squash (2 ways!)
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