Buttercup squash

Buttercup squash (Cucurbita maxima), solid, serious, and superb, delivers what we remember (or imagine) to be quintessential old-fashioned squash flavor. (“Old-fashioned” in this case means dating to 1931, when Buttercup was introduced by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.) The stocky squash wears an identifying “beanie” that enlarges as the squash matures—and softens if it is over age. Many people (I am one) consider Buttercup the model hard squash. Baked, the fine, dry flesh becomes smooth and tastes of honey, roasted chestnuts, and sweetpotato; the handsome bottle green skin turns as glossy as a leather-bound book. When Buttercup is steamed, those characteristics remain, but in softer style, as the flesh becomes a thick “instant” puree: Just spoon up the seamless plushy mass as is.