The oily, sweet nuts, harvested in the spring or fall depending on the use, are hard to crack. Generally the same techniques and tools as are used to break black walnuts work just as well for the butternuts. Do not expect to obtain whole meats, halves being about the best that one can do. Nut pieces will be just fine for the recipes we give anyway.
Cream of Butternut Soup
You may not think of nuts making an tasty soup, but this recipe should convince you that nuts can be prepared almost any way, even as soup.
¾ cup ground butternuts 3 Tbs butter 2 cups chicken stock 1 tsp salt 1 large onion, chopped ½ tsp pepper 1 stalk of celery, sliced 1½ cups milk
Combine the butternuts and stock, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Sautée the onion and celery in the butter for 3 to 5 minutes until tender. Add the sautéed mixture and the remaining ingredients to the soup. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Then serve. Makes four delicious servings.
Peter's Pickled Butternuts
Peter Piper picked pickled peppers, but our Peter Picker pickled the butternuts that he picked. A difference you will enjoy, I think. Use the young nuts, picked in May and maybe June. If you can run a needle through the whole nut, husk and all, it is still okay for pickling.
Boil water to scald the nuts to remove the fuzz. Place the fuzzless nuts in a strong brine solution for a week, changing the water every other day, keeping them tightly covered. Then drain and wipe dry. Pierce each nut through several times with a needle so the pickling solution will be able to soak through easily. Pack them in glass jars, sprinkling a little ginger, nutmeg and cloves between layers. Bring some good strong cider vinegar to a boil, and fill each jar and seal it. Let stand at least two weeks in a cool corner.
Mustard Pickled Butternuts
This pickle recipe calls for mustard, so it has a more robust flavour than Peter's pickled butternuts. Collect butternuts meeting the same conditions as Peter's recipe.
3½ cups immature butternuts ¾ cup sugar 1¼ tsp mustard seed 1 tsp whole cloves ¼ cup salt 1 cinnamon stick, slivered 3 cups cider vinegar ½ tsp celery seed
Cover the nuts with boiling water and let soak for one hour. Then drain and rinse in cold water. Again, cover with water and boil for 40 minutes, changing the water twice. Drain and add the salt and enough water to cover. Let sit for five days. Then drain off the water and place the nuts in hot, sterilized jars. Combine the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Pour the syrup over the nuts, and seal the jars. Let sit for 2 or 3 months before using.
Butternut Cinerean Brownies
The oily butternut, up to 60% of the kernel, helps make for tasty moist brownies.
1 cup light brown sugar 1 tsp salt ½ cup melted butter 1 tsp vanilla 2 squares unsweetened chocolate 3 eggs 1 cup finely broken butternuts ½ cup flour
Mix all the ingredients excluding the nuts and flour. When mixing is complete, add the nuts and flour and stir into an even batter. Set in a shallow greased pan and bake in a moderate (350°F) oven for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan, then cut into nutty squares.
Butternut Pineapple Date Loaf
This loaf will improve if left overnight. It tastes and acts like a mellow fruitcake.
¼ cup soft butter ½ cup sugar 1 egg ¼ tsp lemon extract 8½ oz tin of crushed pineapple ¼ cup broken butternuts ¼ tsp baking soda 2½ cups sifted flour ½ cup pitted dates, finely chopped 2½ tsp baking powder ¼ cup maraschino cherries, chopped 1 tsp salt ¼ cup water
Cream the butter and sugar, and add the egg and the lemon extract. Drain the pineapple reserving the liquid. Add crushed pineapple and nuts to the creamed mixture. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the dates and mix well, separating the date pieces with your fingers. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the reserved pineapple juice and the ¼ cup of water. Fold in the well drained maraschino cherries. Pour into a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake in a moderate (375°F) oven for about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan for complete cooling. Makes one loaf.
Butternut Cracker Date Pie
This is a simple recipe, a good one to try for a fast dessert.
1 cup chopped dates 1 cup butternut pieces 1 dozen white crackers 1 cup sugar ½ tsp baking powder 3 egg whites
Roll the crackers into small crumbs. Mix dates, nuts, crackers, sugar, baking powder, and eggs together in that order. Fold the mixture into a 9 inch greased pie pan. Bake ½ hour in a moderate oven (350°F). Cool before cutting.
Todd's Microbrittle
The two special features of this nut brittle are that it is made in a microwave oven and it is crunchy instead of rock hard.
1 tsp baking powder 1½ cups butternut bits Pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup sugar ½ cup cornstarch 1 tsp butterMix the nuts, sugar, salt, and corn syrup in a microwave proof bowl. Cook for 6½ minutes at high power. Add the vanilla and butter and stir well. Return to the microwave for another 1 ¾ minutes at high power. Quickly stir in the baking powder, spread the mixture thinly on a cookie sheet and let cool at room temperature. When cool, about 30 minutes, break into bite-sized pieces. Stores well in a metal tin lined with waxed paper.
Danish Drops
½ cup butter ¼ cup brown sugar 1 egg yolk 1 cup flour jelly
Shape in small balls and roll in egg white then in chopped butternuts. Make an impression with thimble in center of cookie before putting in 350°F oven, and again five minutes later. Fill with jelly before serving.
Whole-wheat Butternut Bread
½ cup brown sugar ¾ cup cold water ½ cup molasses ¾ cup milk 1 cup sifted white flour 1 tsp salt 2½ tsp baking powder ¾ tsp baking soda 2 cup unsifted fine whole wheat flour ¾ cup butternuts, in random-size pieces
Dissolve sugar in cold water; add molasses and milk. Sift white flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together. Combine with unsifted whole wheat flour. Blend. Add liquid mixture and blend again. Stir in butternuts. Grease a loaf pan, line it with wax paper, and then grease the paper. Add dough. Shake the pan to settle the dough evenly. Bake at 275°F for 2 hours. Turn out on a rack to cool and peel off the paper. Let stand until absolutely cold before slicing. Better still, wrap the bread when cold and let it stand for 24 hours before using.
Butternut Butterscotch Squares
Base: ½ cup butter 2 cups flour
Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Add 2 cups flour and mix thoroughly. Spread into 9x13 inch pan. Bake in 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
Filling: 4 large eggs ¼ cup flour ½ tsp. Baking powder 1 tsp. Salt 2 cups brown sugar ¾ cup shredded coconut 1 cup chopped butternuts 2 tsp. Vanilla
Beat eggs and ¼ cup flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, vanilla, coconut, and nuts. Mix and pour over baked crust. Bake in 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly before cutting. Note: This recipe can be divided in half and baked in an 8x8 inch pan.
Broccoli Butternut Pesto
6 oz broccoli flowers 1 clove garlic 4 oz butternuts 2 oz Parmesan cheese ¼ tsp white pepper 7 fl.oz. olive oil
Put everything through a meat grinder, or combine the Italian way by pounding in a mortar & pestle.
Provided by SONG. Feel free to copy with a credit.