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The bright orange flesh of a butternut squash is firm and the skin is tough and thick, like a hard plastic. We've had some success using a sturdy vegetable peeler, but if you have a sharp knife and a plan, butternut squash prep can be pretty easy. To start, cut off and discard the stem end. Cut the butternut squash in two at the intersection of the cylindrical neck and the round base. Peel the skin from the neck: If the skin is too thick to peel with a vegetable peeler, try standing the neck on a flat end and slicing downward around the squash with a paring knife. (If the neck is really long, cut into two shorter pieces before doing this.) Peel the round base in the same way. When you've peeled the base, split it in half or into quarters lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape to remove the seeds and fibrous flesh. Now you can cut the peeled and seeded squash into whatever size pieces you need.

How to prep a leek

Leeks are underappreciated and underused. Their flavor is mellow, complex and more subtle than other members of the onion family, and they go tender and silky when cooked. They’re known for their role in potato and cream-based soups (like vichyssoise) and in winter stews. They’re delicious raw and sliced thin in salads, stir-fried with beef (or anything, for that matter), simmered in water and served hot or cold with a vinaigrette, braised whole in wine or stock, or brought in anywhere you’d use an onion. No matter what form you want your leek to take, you’ll need to isolate and clean the usable white and light green parts. Start by cutting off and discarding the root from the leek’s bottom end. If you’re planning to cook the leeks whole or as halves, try to leave enough of the fibrous white part above the roots to hold the halves together. If you’re planning to slice the leeks, you don’t need to be so exact here. Next, chop off the tough top part of the leek between the light green and dark green parts (let's call it medium green). Either discard the dark green part, or rinse it well and use it to flavor a stock, broth, or poaching liquid. Next, cut the leek in half lengthwise. If you’d like insurance that the leek will stay together for washing, leave the root end intact. Now it’s time to get rid of the sand and soil that wedges between the leek’s layers. Be thorough here — a gritty bite is a deal-breaker. Rinse the leek under cold running water, making sure to spread the layers apart with your fingers to remove any hidden sand or soil. Alernatley, If this is too much, you can take the short cut and slice them sand and all, and afterwards rinse them well in a colander submerged in a bowl of cold water and pat them dry. Now all you have to do is finish cutting the leek in half lengthwise (if you haven’t already), and choose your slice - crosswise for little half moons, or lenghtwise for matchstick sized pieces. Remember the longer the cooking time, the thicker the slice should be to hold up well.

Measuring freshly ground black pepper

When a recipe calls for "freshly ground black pepper," it usually does so without suggesting an amount. In the instructions of the recipe, you’ll be told to "sprinkle [something] with freshly ground black pepper" or "generously season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper" or "add freshly ground black pepper to taste." In general, this makes sense. Cooking with black pepper is one of those things you just get a feel for as you spend more time in the kitchen. And descriptive measurements like "sprinkle" and "generously season" are hard to screw up: a light sprinkle is not going to be drastically different from a heavy sprinkle. Still, we've been keeping track of pepper amounts for a while now, because we want our descriptive measurements to be more or less the same from recipe to recipe. How much pepper do we mean when we write "generously season?" What is the ideal amount of a Cookthink "sprinkle?" And of course, there are times when it helps to have an exact amount for freshly ground black pepper. For certain casseroles and papillotes -- dishes that can’t be tasted for seasoning as they cook -- it's nice to have an exact baseline amount of pepper so that you don’t have to tweak it too much at the end for taste. The problem is that it’s near impossible to grind accurately into any measuring spoon smaller than a tablespoon, and few recipes call for that much pepper. So how do you measure freshly ground black pepper? One easy way is to go by turns of the grinder. I’ve carved an “X” onto the side of mine, a short and simple model with three settings: coarse, medium, fine. I set the grind to medium and made 8 full rotations into a small bowl. Using a 1/8 teaspoon, I shoveled the ground pepper into another 1/8 teaspoon. Too much. I started over and stopped at 4 full rotations. It was a little light, so I made another full turn and got an almost level 1/8 teaspoon with 5 total rotations of the grinder. I did the same for 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon. I got the results you’d expect: 1/8 teaspoon = 5 full rotations 1/4 teaspoon = 10 full rotations 1/2 teaspoon = 20 full rotations 1 teaspoon = 40 full rotations I repeated this in both the fine and coarse settings, and found them close enough to the medium not to worry too much about it. So are these measurements helpful? In writing and testing recipes, yes. In practice, probably not, though I have often wondered, while standing over a stew grinding away, just how much pepper I’m adding. Now I know. - Chip

What is Greek yogurt?

Greek yogurt is a thicker, creamier version of the regular variety. It's thicker and creamier because it has been strained of its whey. In Greece, yogurt is usually made with sheep's or goat's milk. Although there are "lite" versions available, Greek yogurt generally refers to the full-fat variety, the fat contributing to its rich taste. Greek yogurt's velvety texture has won it fans in the United States in recent years. But if you can't find Greek-style yogurt, you can always make your own. Line a fine-sieved colander with cheesecloth or paper towels, place it over a bowl and allow the whey to drain off in the refrigerator. For small amounts, a cone-shaped coffee filter works well. Strained yogurt is a healthier cream-cheese substitute -- lightly sweetened, it can be used to frost a carrot cake. Combined with chopped frozen mangoes, litchis or bananas and a splash of light rum, it makes a delicious homemade yogurt. In Middle Eastern cuisine, strained yogurt is also known as labneh, which is often bathed in olive oil and showered with a spice mix known as Za'atar. It is also used to thicken sauces, mixed in at the last minute (the high fat content prevents curdling). Strained yogurt is the main ingredient in Indian raita and Greek tzatziki, dips made with cucumbers and garlic or spices. Garnished with a dollop of honey, strained yogurt is a popular dessert in Greece, and fit for the gods. Recipe: Grilled Yogurt-Mint Lamb Kebabs (Cookthink) Reference: What is Za'atar? (Cookthink) Reference: What is tzatziki? (Cookthink) Reference: What is raita? (Cookthink)

Root Source: Butternut Squash

what you should know You've got your tender summer squashes -- zucchini and yellow squash among them -- which are eaten skin-and-all well before they're fully grown. And then you've got your doorstop winter squashes -- most notably the pear-shaped butternut -- which are fully matured and have a hard, thick (and, as far as we're concerned, inedible) shell. squash picking Look for a butternut that is heavy for its size and free of any cuts or scars. The skin coloring should be similarly pale all over. wolverines! In many places, butternut squash is now available year-round. But if you suddenly find yourself a guerrilla fighter in the Colorado mountains who has to scrounge for and ration food, you can store one in a cool, dry place for weeks. butternut cracked There's no easy way to prep a butternut squash. You just have to get in there and hack away at it. When prepping one, we find it helpful to think of it as two separate objects, the narrow neck and the bulbous, seedy end. oh gourd part III Squashes date back thousands of years. Along with beans and corn, the squash is one of the "Three Sisters," the cornerstones of Native American cuisine. what you need Earlier this spring, Claire investigated the pros and cons of Y and straight peelers, which some find helpful in dealing with butternuts. We usually find a large paring knife to be the most effective way to remove the tough skin of a butternut (even if it means losing a little of the squash's flesh). With Amy Goldman's The Compleat Squash in hand, there is nothing about butternut squash that you will not know. (No joke.) For the (really, really good) butternut-banana puree below, try using Jameson or Tullamore Dew. what you do Make this butternut squash and sausage casserole with sage for breakfast, then have the leftovers with dinner. If you like sweet potato fries, you'll love butternut squash tempura with soy-lime dipping sauce Everyone who starts a food blog has to take a blood oath to post, at some point, on butternut squash risotto. For a peppery take on a tired old stand-by, try this curried butternut squash soup. Dessert or Thanksgiving side: butternut squash and banana puree with whiskey and pecans.

What is a winter squash?

Unlike their summer squash cousins, which are harvested when thin-skinned and immature, winter squash are left to mature late into the growing season (pumpkins are picked after the first frost). With fully developed seeds (that must be scraped out before cooking) and tough, rind-like yet edible skin, winter squash can last for months if kept cool and dry. Some winter squash varieties to look for are butternut, buttercup, delicata, spaghetti squash and pumpkin.