Winter Squash often arrives at the table as a creamy soup or pumpkin pie out of the shell: sweetened puree spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg. This hard-shelled, mild-flavored, and nutrient-dense fruit offers many more delicious possibili-ties for the curious cook, and is a nutritionist’s darling. Its firm smooth flesh can be roasted, puréed, or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muf-fins. Its rich nutty flavor makes a superior pie, much better than pumpkin.Botanically speaking, But-ternut squash is a fruit with a hard, inedible rind and orange flesh that has been allowed to mature on the vine. It belongs to the Cucurbit family, which includes summer squashes,cucumbers, and melons. The  butternut species C. Moschata originated in Mexico, and is re-lated to pumpkins and a group of large squashes called Calaba-za (which simply means squash in Spanish), characterized by bright orange flesh.Squash is good for you, too. It’s an excellent source of beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is a very good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, mag-nesium, and potassium, and a good source of folate, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin B6, niacin, and pan-tothenic acid. Recently, I became enamored of grated squash after acquir-ing a new shredding blade for my ancient food processor. I’ve come up with a few savory dish- es that show a side of squash with personality and texture. Unlike its rough, thick-skinned squash cousins buttercup and hubbard, the smooth-skinned butternut is easy to peel, and yields to a sharp knife. Last Month’s RecipeIn last month’s story about Huntington’s school lunch trans-formations, I featured one of the new healthy recipes on the menu: home-style beef stew. It refers to a five-vegetable tomato base sauce, laden with butternut squash and other vegetables — an inspira-tion for parents looking for ways to slip more vegetables into their children. This delicious recipe can be seen in the First Bite section of www.wvobserver.com.  

Grated Squash Gratin with Cream

This pristine yet opulent dish is a variation of a recipe I found in Judith Jones’ wonderful mem-oir The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. She describes her relationships as an editor for some of the most influential gastronomic writers of our time and her evolution as a cook. Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream if you can help it.

I prefer cream from South Mountain Dairy or Trickling Springs Dairy.

1 2-pound Butternut squash

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter  

1 cup heavy cream

Butter a 6-cup gratin dish. An 8-1/2-inch round, 2-inch-deep dish is ideal. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the squash. Cut through at the bottom of the neck to expose the seed cavity, and scrape out the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks to fit into the feeder tube of a food proces-sor fitted with a medium blade, and grate it. Or, if grating by hand, use the largest holes of a box   grater.Put the shredded squash into a bowl, and add the cinnamon, salt and pepper; toss well. Put it into the baking dish, and pour the cream over all evenly. Cover lightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the squash is tender and lightly browned on top.

Grated Squash with Garlic

This savory mixture is also terrific on pizza. Spread it on a prepared round of dough, sprinkle with a little mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake it in a hot oven.  

1 2-pound Butternut squash

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon smoked hot

Spanish paprika (or substitute 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

2 teaspoons dried oregano, or marjoram, or a combinationSalt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Lightly oil a 6 to 8-cup shallow gratin dish. An 8-1/2-inch round, 2-inch-deep dish is ideal. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the squash. Cut through at the bottom of the neck to expose the seed cavity, and scrape out the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks to fit into the feeder tube of a food processor fitted with a medium blade, and grate it. Or, if grating by hand, use the largest holes of a box grater.Put the shredded squash into a bowl, and toss with the remaining ingredients. Put it into the baking dish, and bake for about 40 minutes until the squash is tender and lightly browned on   top.