Pulp Parts

So let’s begin with the parts we normally throw away: the seeds and the stringy pulp from the cavity of a squash. Here we took those pieces and put them in a pot with cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, and nutmeg. We simmered the liquid with the spices and then strained off the solids, yielding a delicious broth. Then we took the drained seeds and pulp, covered them with butter, and cooked the mixture until the pulp began to dry out and infuse the butter with the aroma and flavor of the squash. Once it was done, we strained it over non-fat milk solids and cooked them in the butter until the solids were toasted and turned a rich, nutty orange-brown. We dubbed the results browned butternut solids. We left them to infuse overnight, and the non-fat milk solids absorbed a large percentage of the butter with all of its good flavor. The solids may then be separated from the fat, leaving behind a butternut ghee. Our final yield is a spiced butternut liquid, browned butternut solids, and butternut ghee, each full of delicious squash flavor, with an almost infinite number of culinary possibilities. Not bad utilization for the parts we used to throw away.