Butternut squash is an edible member of the gourd family whose roots have been traced back to Mexico in 5500 B.C. (Along with beans and corn, squash is one of the "Three Sisters," the cornerstones of Native American cuisine.)
A mature winter squash, it grows on a vine, and has a giant pear-shaped body, tough skin, rich-tasting, vivid yellow-orange flesh and a sweet flavor. (It can often substitute well for the sweet potato.) Butternut squash can be baked, steamed, puréed or simmered, and is often referred to by cooks as a "workhorse" because of its versatility. Once cooked, its dry flesh has a glossy and silky texture that makes it a favorite in soups, curries and other dishes.
Reference: How to peel and seed a butternut squash?
Recipe: Butternut Squash Tempura With Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce
Recipe: Butternut Squash And Banana Puree With Whiskey And Pecans
What is a Jerusalem artichoke?
What is a Jerusalem artichoke?
A Jerusalem artichoke (also known as a sunroot, sunchoke or topinambour) is a gnarled lump of a root vegetable with a tenacious off-white or reddish skin that is surprisingly a species of sunflower (its big yellow flowers do not accompany the edible tubor to the market).
Looks can be deceiving. Steam it carefully (too long and it will turn to mush), or boil and mash it and you have a silky purée with a fine-flavored artichoke taste. It makes a lovely white soup as well.
The Jerusalem artichoke is neither from Jerusalem nor is it an artichoke (though they are from the same family). It was originally cultivated by Native Americans (they called them "sun roots") and was introduced in Europe by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who discovered them in Cape Cod in 1605. Some historians believe that the "Jerusalem" part came about when Europeans, who initially called it a "girasole," the Italian word for sunflower, changed the name to the similar-sounding Jerusalem to avoid confusion.
