Put an Asian punch into winter squash with curry paste and coconut milk

Would it ever occur to you, the cook, to fill an acorn squash with Thai curry paste and a little coconut milk?

It's one of Madeleine Greey's favourite Asian dishes to serve her family. It may sound unusual, but this professional chef is always looking for ways to add pizzazz to her cooking.

"I think people get a little overwhelmed about squash," she says. "They look at all those different colours and sizes and shapes, but it really doesn't matter which one you bring home from the market."

Now is the time of year to select winter squash because it's at its peak of freshness, Greey says.

When buying squash, look for dry, hard, tough-looking skins with no soft spots or bruises.

"I think my favourite is butternut," she says. "They seem to have a very sweet, moist flesh and are easier to peel especially if you microwave it for a few minutes."

When she is doing Asian cuisine she goes for something that is meatier and drier like a kabocha squash. It is a medium-sized Japanese hybrid, shaped like a flattened globe with dark green, bumpy skin. Its orange flesh is dense, dry and very sweet.

"It absorbs Indian or Thai curry flavours really well," she says.

Spaghetti squash is another of Greey's favourites. It is medium sized, oblong with smooth yellow skin.

"If you think of people who are gluten intolerant, spaghetti squash is made for them, in terms of pasta," she says.

If you're daunted by the task of cutting open a squash like the spaghetti, then she recommends putting it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

"Then you can cut through the skin. Slice the squash in wedges and put it into a steaming basket over boiling water for about 20 minutes."

Once done, Greey suggests tossing in a pesto sauce dressing or a sesame-ginger dressing and serving it as a pasta dish.

Now that the autumn harvest is here, she also recommends trying some mini pumpkins. These can be baked whole and stuffed with a little orange juice, ginger or a curry paste puree.

She says a really fast dish using store-bought ready-cut butternut squash involves cubing it, adding salsa and a sprinkle of some Monterey Jack cheese "and you have a delicious casserole."

To store winter squash at home, place it in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Some squash such as hubbard and butternut will keep well for several weeks in a cool, dry place.

Another variety to look for is acorn squash, a small acorn-shaped squash that's dark green and orange with a deeply ridged skin. It is best when baked.

Delicata squash is small to medium, elongated with a cream-coloured skin striped with orange and green. You can eat the outer skin and will find the flesh is creamy and has a sweet corn-like flavour.

Buttercup squash is small to medium in size, drum-shaped with dark green skin marked with grey. Its orange flesh is dense, dry and sweet.

Hubbard squash is large with dusty blue-green warty, faintly ridged skin. Its yellow-orange flesh is dry and slightly bland in flavour.

Turban squash has a turban-like topknot. It is bright orange-red and has a dry, mildly sweet flesh.

Here is a timely tip from Greey: Store leftover squash or pumpkin puree in your freezer and save it to use in breads, muffins, pie, flan or custard.

And don't forget that all these squashes are rich in beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, B, lots of fibre, lutein, magnesium and potassium.