A great recipe for Tommy T's garden squash--Squash Cornbread!

[Queenie O.]

The other day Tommy T. showed us his lovely squash growing in his garden. His squash might be a similar variety of squash found often here growing or for sale in the Philippines called calabasa squash. Calabasa squash is a vegetable (my favorite) that is a good source of fiber, and high in vitamin A and C. Whether grown in your own garden or purchased at the local vegetable vendor, it's really good vegetable to add to you diet. steamed or boiled, it can be mashed and stored in portioned plastic containers in the freezer and taken out as a great side dish to many meals, or used in baking. Fresh cooked and mashed squash is a favorite of our two local aspin dogs, so I always put aside a portion for them to add to their meals. It's a little work cutting up and peeling and chopping the squash into cubes of the squash initially, but one large squash can yield several portions. It cooks very quick so it's easy to drain and mash. I originally planned to offer up a recipe using calabasa squash in a pie, but thought that this recipe would be easier and of interest too. Give it a try if you'd like--it's quite good I think for breakfast with some scrambled eggs. Very moist. I use Bob's Red Mill cornmeal that is available in some markets, or on Lazada, but any medium ground cornmeal will do. Squash Cornbread recipe 3/4 Cup yellow cornmeal 3/4 cup all purpose flour 4 tsps. baking powder 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup soft butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice 1/4 cup milk 1 cup mashed, cooked squash Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Cream softened butter and sugars together in another bowl. Add eggs, squash, lemon juice, milk and eggs to that butter mixture. Beat together, and gradually add the mixture to the dry ingredients until well combined. Pour the batter into a buttered medium sized loaf pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool a bit and slice for your favorite breakfast, or with coffee or tea. Makes one loaf. Enjoy!

[Tommy T.]

On 3/27/2021 at 10:19 AM, Queenie O. said:

His squash might be a similar variety of squash found often here growing or for sale in the Philippines called calabasa squash.

Absolutely correct, L just assured me. It is growing almost wild on the property and was already growing when we moved in. L made a veggie dish with calabasa in it and it was wonderful. It sort of reminds me of acorn squash that I used to bake up in USA years ago. Like you say, they are good and healthy.

We are looking forward to trying your recipe - thanks!

[JJReyes]

I haven't had Philippine grown squash in a long time.  What we eat is the Japanese version cut in medium slices and fried with tempura batter.  Delicious and tasty.  Readily available in Southern California supermarkets because of the large Japanese population.  By the way, the Filipino population in San Diego and Los Angeles has grown, resulting in a proliferation of restaurants and supermarkets.  Most popular dish is the Pilipino lumpia, also known as, Shanghai lumpia.  The bite size version is served by the Hollywood crowd during their parties.