Season 7, Episode 33. November 14, 2020

Cushaw Squash - Native American Roots & Recipes & how to cook this huge squash!

Today, we are setting the table with cushaw squash. It is a squash found at roadside stands, and farmers’ markets in the South East, Western states and throughout the mountain south. My guests today regale the cushaw for it’s culinary properties with recipes. This squash is a large size squash with green stripes on a cream colored background.
Fred and Jill Sauceman of Johnson City, Tennessee share how they bake an entire cushaw without peeling it in the oven.
Fred Sauceman also shares historic information of the cushaw and it’s roots in Native American culinary traditions. He also shares a recipe for “Cushaw Custard”.
Amy shares 2 recipes from Nadalyn Larson for “Stewed Cushaw”, and “Cushaw Coffee Cake.” These recipes are posted on her sister’s food blog and are inspired from their Mother Sally. The link for MJ’s blog in right below.

Links to guests:
Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman
Fred Sauceman, a native of Greeneville, Tennessee, is senior writer, associate professor of Appalachian Studies, and news director for WETS-FM at East Tennessee State University. He has written and edited seven books in the fields of Appalachian and Southern food studies.
Jill Sauceman: @JillSauceman
Jill Sauceman, a native of Hiltons, Virginia, earned her degree in Public Health from East Tennessee State University and did graduate work in Accounting. She has worked in accounting and historic preservation and for the National Kidney Foundation of East Tennessee.

For a link to the food blog where the recipes for “Stewed Cushaw” and “Cushaw Coffee Cake” can be found, it is called MJ’s Kitchen, and the recipes where authored by MJ’s sister Nadyln Larson. https://mjskitchen.com/2013/01/stewed-cushaw-and-cushaw-cake/ 

Stewed Cushaw

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hr 15 minutes

Course: Side Dish, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Southern US
Yields: 8 cups (about)
Recipe Author: Nadalyn Larsen

Ingredients:

1 cushaw, Any size
Water
Salt to taste, probably about a generous tablespoon
2 tablespoons to a ¼ cup of sugar*
Half a stick of butter.

Instructions:

1. Prepare the squash by removing the neck first, peel and cut it into large cubes (about   1").
2. Transfer to a large Dutch oven or other large pot.
3. Cut the remaining bulb portion in half and remove the seeds and scrape the inside as you would when cleaning a pumpkin.
4. Peel and cut into small cubes and add to the pot.
5. Add only enough water to fill about half the volume of the squash in the pot.
6. Cover and cook on medium to high heat, removing the lid occasionally to stir, making sure that all the pieces get into the water to cook.
7. After about 30 minutes, remove the lid and allow some of the water to evaporate. Stir frequently until the squash is tender enough to be mashed with a potato masher.
8. When the flesh is tender, drain off as much liquid as possible. Return to the pot over a low heat. Mash with a potato masher and add the salt, sugar and butter. Stir to combine well and to evaporate off more of the moisture until the pulp is creamy.
9. Serve piping hot.
10. Refrigerate leftovers in a closed container.

Kitchen Notes:

You want just enough water in the pot to stew the squash. Most of the water will evaporate during the stewing process. Younger squash will take longer to cook (about 40 to 45 minutes) than older squash which have set for a few weeks before cooking. Just keep checking it and when the chunks are easily pierced with a fork, then it’s done.

When adding sugar to the stewed and mashed cushaw meat, start with a small amount and gradually add more as needed until it is as sweet as you like. The amount you use also depends on the cushaw itself. Some are sweeter than others. The last one I cooked was the tartest I have ever made, so it took more sugar. Remember, it is a vegetable so you don’t want it as sweet as a dessert.

Cushaw Coffee Cake

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Course: bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: Southern US
Yields: 1 loaf
Recipe Author: Nadalyn Larsen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup leftover mashed, stewed cushaw

• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour*

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup, at room temperature

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup light brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• Oil or Crisco to grease the pan

Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 350° F.

2. Put cushaw in a strainer or sieve to remove excess moisture. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

4. In a bowl large enough to eventually hold all the ingredients, beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium or low.

5. Add the eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth. Blend in the cushaw.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the cushaw mixture a little at a time. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should be fairly thick.

7. Pour the batter into a well-greased or oiled 9 inch loaf pan.

8. Bake for about an hour and ten minutes or until a thin wooden stick (I use a chopstick) comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

9. Leave the cake in the pan and cool on a baking rack for about 20 minutes.

10. Remove the cake from the pan and let it finish cooling on the baking rack.
    

Kitchen Notes:

As with many cakes, this one tastes great served warm, but to me it tastes even better the next day eaten cold or at room temperature. It stays moist unrefrigerated for several days when covered in plastic wrap.

 I didn’t use spices as you normally would in similar cakes made from pumpkin or sweet potatoes, because the cushaw has a more delicate flavor. If you like more of a coffee cake flavor, add ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg. I have made it this way several times and it is very good. My husband loves it with the spices but the rest of us like the plain jane cake.

You can also add nuts if you like. I recommend pecans or walnuts because their flavors don’t detract from the flavor of the cushaw. I suggest that you chop the nut meat into small pieces and add it to the batter. With a house full of folks with nut allergies I don’t usually add nuts.

 To rewarm, you can microwave a generous slice for no more than 20 seconds.