Butternut Squash Breakdown

When it comes to knife skills, one of the more difficult items to approach are dense gourds of awkward shapes and sizes. Today we will tackle and breakdown a large butternut squash and talk about some common uses. A systematic approach when processing any vegetable is the best route. If you just go in chopping, you’re bound to have a tough time. 

Of course, a sharp knife is always necessary and, in this case, you want your knife to be the appropriate size for the job and ideally have some weight behind it. I’m utilizing my Chroma for this task, a sturdy Japanese blade designed by Porsche and at 9-inches it’s slightly larger than a standard chef knife. An 8–10 inch German steel knife would also be appropriate for the job. 

To start, I remove about a quarter inch or so from the top and bottom of the squash. Then cut the neck away from the more bulbous base. It’s always best to work in manageable portions that are shorter than the length of the blade unless dictated by the recipe. 

Next using a peeler remove the skin and cut both pieces in half. 

Scoop the seeds from the lower half of the squash and then with the flat cut side down on the cutting board you can choose the cut you’re looking for. Having the flat side down allows to to better stabilize the item. In this case, I chose a medium dice so I cut the squash length wise into 1/2-inch stick then cut across at the same 1/2-inch dimension. 

Using this same technique, you can execute a smaller or larger dice. 

From here you can utilize the squash as you wish, roasting or boiling as a side or accompaniment or cooking until tender to purée. I’ve chosen to season and roast mine. 

I’ll purée half and work the purée into a dough to make gnocchi. The other half will act as an accompaniment to the gnocchi to fortify the overall flavor of the dish. It is the perfect time of year for more delicate summer squash and the following recipe is interchangeable with most gourds. If you’re still not quite comfortable hacking at this dense veg come and check out our Knife Skills class to hone your techniques! 

Butternut Mascarpone Gnocchi 

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium dice

1 teaspoon Chinese five spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 Tablespoons grape seed oil

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour, divided in 2 parts

1/2 stick butter melted

5 sage leaves, sliced thin

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the squash into a large bowl. Add the oil and season the squash with salt, pepper, five spice, and cardamom.

3. Spread the squash onto a sheet tray and roast until tender and slightly caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

4. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and add salt.

5. Using the same bowl whisk together the mascarpone, parmigiana, eggs, salt and pepper.

6. Mash half of the roasted squash into a purée and add it to the cheese and egg mixture then work in the flour in two parts until the mixture comes together and is no longer sticky. Use more flour if needed.

7. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, divide in 4 pieces and roll out 1/2 in logs and cut 1/2 inch pieces.

8. Cook the gnocchi in the boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes. Once all the gnocchi float, remove with a skimmer. Toss with melted butter, sage, and the remaining squash.

If you are interested in learning how to make other types of gnocchi, don't miss these upcoming classes:

• Hands-On Know Your Gnocchi Wednesday, August 30 6pm Lincoln Square
• Virtual Ricotta Gnocchi all Caprese Friday, September 15 6pm CST