List of all micro- and macroelements, vitamins and acids in the composition of butternut squash. The benefits and harms of this vegetable for the body. Variants of what delicious to cook from the first and second courses, pastries. Note! Most of all, the benefits of nutmeg pumpkin are noticeable if you use it raw or stewed, baked, boiled. Fried is more likely harmful and even dangerous, since during the formation of a crust, poisonous substances accumulate in it. They pollute blood vessels, liver and intestines, poisoning the body.
Harm and contraindications to the use of nutmeg pumpkin
This is almost the only vegetable that can be consumed as much as possible by almost everyone. The ban on it applies only to people with diabetes of all types, stomach and duodenal ulcers, a violation of the acid-base balance in the body. This is due to the fact that the pulp contains a lot of sugars and carbohydrates, which are harmful for such problems.
Pumpkin juice is carefully consumed with increased bilirubin and a diseased liver. Children and pregnant women can use it no more than 1-2 glasses per week. Do not get carried away with them and with biliary dyskinesia, cholecystitis, pancreatitis.
Important! With gastritis, ulcers and colitis, you can only drink pumpkin juice, seeds are not allowed in any form.
Butternut squash recipes
You should choose fruits with a clean, even skin and a bright sweet aroma. If they shine, then this indicates their immaturity. It is imperative to knock on the vegetable - a “wooden” sound should be heard. It should be cleaned no earlier than 2-3 days before cooking and kept under plastic wrap all this time. Whole pumpkin can be stored for about 6 months in a cool, dry place, ideally in a basement. It makes delicious soups, cereals, mashed potatoes, desserts, pastries and much more.
Let's share the recipes for the best dishes:
- French soup … This is an ideal option for preschool children and pregnant women, you can choose it for breakfast, lunch, dinner. To prepare 4 servings, you will need to peel and seed the 3rd part of the main vegetable, 1 celery, half a ginger root, 3 potatoes and one onion. Then all this is rubbed or chopped in a meat grinder, salted, pepper and fried in butter over low heat. Then 5 liters of water + 50 ml of fat milk are boiled and the mixture is poured into the liquid. It is boiled for 20-25 minutes, after which it is whipped with a blender, decorated with a sprig of cilantro and served with croutons.
- Casserole … First, bake a medium-sized pumpkin half, then remove all the pulp from it, which you want to grind in a puree. At this time, add 200 g of grated cottage cheese, 50 g of semolina, 50 g of sugar to the blender bowl and continue whisking. When the mass becomes soft, smooth, add 3 yolks and melted butter (50 g). Lubricate the baking dish with it, in which you will need to put the dough. Then it is placed in the oven for 25-30 minutes until a golden crust appears. Serve a ready-made dish with sea buckthorn sauce, for the preparation of which you just need to grind 200 g of berries, add 80 g of sugar and pour 150 ml of cooled boiling water, whipping with a whisk.
- Pumpkin pie … Start with the filling - grate the peel of half a lemon and 100 g of pumpkin pulp, add 2 eggs and mashed butter (50 g), honey (2 tablespoons) and a pinch of cinnamon. Now the mass should be brought to a homogeneous gruel using a whisk or mixer. Then it is sent to the refrigerator for an hour and attention is paid to the dough. The base is prepared by pouring melted butter (150 ml) into flour (1 cup), driving in one egg and adding milk (50 ml). After that, the dough is sugar and salted to taste, poured into a baking dish in a thin layer. Lay out the filling on top of the first layer, then pour the second and repeat the same steps until the form is filled to the top. The main thing is that the last layer is not from the filling. The form is placed in the oven and kept at a temperature of 180 degrees for 30 minutes, until completely baked along the entire height. The baked goods will be ready when nothing sticks to it when the match is dipped inside.
- Tart … The homeland of this delicate and delicious dessert is France. According to the classic recipe, the dough is made from chopped butter (200 g), ground with flour (3 cups) and powdered sugar (150 g). Put the finished mass in a container, cover with raw pumpkin puree or chopped pieces of this vegetable and put in the oven for 30 minutes. At the end, the cooled cake is decorated with fresh berries around the edges, cut into large pieces and served with a milkshake.
- Stuffed pumpkin … There is nothing complicated here, you just need to cut one pumpkin into several small parts, wash, peel from seeds and partially from pulp. Instead, put a mixture of fried pork (250 g), onions (2 pcs.), Carrots (1 pc.), Bell pepper (2 pcs.) And salt. The stuffed vegetables are sent to the oven or steamer until they become softer and brown. They are best served on a large plate garnished with lettuce and cream.
- Porridge … This is the most popular pumpkin dish. It only needs to be washed, peeled, cut as small as possible or twisted through a meat grinder, salt and sugar to taste. Next, add a little millet, dried fruits (prunes and dried apricots) and honey. Pour all this into an enamel saucepan, pour milk so that it completely covers the mixture, and cook for 10 to 20 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Add a lump of butter at the end.
- Pumpkin cookies … To make a dozen of them, beat 200 g of a vegetable, mix mashed potatoes with oatmeal (50 g), sugar (90 g), vegetable oil (50 ml) and wheat flour (200 g). At the end, extinguish 1 tsp with vinegar. soda and add a pinch of salt, knead the dough, cut out the circles with a glass and spread them evenly on a baking sheet greased with refined vegetable oil. The baking time should be at least 25 minutes; the thinner the circles, the less it is required. Decorate the finished cookies with powdered sugar.
Note! The existing contraindications for butternut pumpkin indicate that the peel is quite suitable for eating, but it is not very tasty - it has a bitter taste and is hard. The crust remains tough even after the longest heat treatment.
Interesting facts about butternut squash
For the first time, the seeds of this type of pumpkin, which are more than 5000 years old, were found by scientists in Mexico, which is considered its homeland.
Unlike their round cousins, they are not used as "lanterns" in preparation for Halloween. But this does not prevent the parade in their honor from being held every year in Germany, the city of Ludwigsburg. Pumpkins are brought here from completely different parts of the earth, and nutmeg has also found its place. During the event, visitors can admire the sculptures made from the "second pear".
In 2001, the largest pumpkin was grown in Mexico, weighing 150 kg.
By the way, this particular type is best suited for making baby cereals and juices because of its delicate and pleasant pulp. It is he who is the most juicy and tasty, and it also contains the least calories.
In markets and supermarkets, nutmeg varieties are often mistaken for others due to the similarity of shape.
How to cook butternut pumpkin - watch the video:
When choosing these or those recipes for butternut pumpkin, one should not forget that it is most useful in its raw form. It can be easily combined with any other vegetables, meat and fish dishes, berries and fruits. In general, this is one of the most picky "inhabitants" of the refrigerator, which fully deserves a place on the dining table!
