Praise then darkness, and creation unfinished

I cooked the Smitten Kitchen tofu and squash with ginger for supper tonight.cattitude and I both liked it, and also noted things we could do differently--this is a thing he does with new recipes, especially when he did the cooking.

I liked this dish when adrian_turtle cooked it, but she did most of the work that time, so I wasn't sure of timing. Also, the squash we had was about half the size the recipe calls for, and I reduced the tofu accordingly. In retrospect, I should have used more tofu (say, 3/4 of the package instead of half) and/or made less of the marinade. Also, the recipe calls for a one-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated*; I think I grated about half an inch, and this wasn't enough.

I didn't toast the sesame seeds, because I didn't want things to feel rushed. I should probably either toast them, or leave them out altogether.

I'm thinking of buying a package of peeled and seeded butternut squash next time, if I'm sure I'll cook this within a few days.

*I didn't bother peeling it, just grabbed the bag of frozen ginger, cut off an end, and started grating.

We bought a Hubbard squash at the Greenmarket this morning, because it looked reasonable (that is, ripe, and not too big). cattitude baked it for dinner tonight, treating it the same way we do acorn squash*.

My first thought was that it was okay, but that I liked acorn squash better; Cattitude agreed. Then I scraped too close to the skin of the squash, and got a bitter-tasting forkful. After hitting the skin again, I carefully took a spoon and scooped out a mouthful without touching the skin of the squash. Still bitter. My best guess is that once I'd primed my mouth with even the bit of bitterness, I couldn't not taste it when I ate more of the squash. Cattitude confirmed that he tasted a bit of bitterness; I'm not sure whether that part of the squash was bitterer than the rest, or if he just hadn't been aware of that flavor until I said something. Possibly a bit of both: even after the squash started tasting bitter, the sea scallops (sauteed with bits of bell pepper) didn't.

So, yes, it's food, but I don't think we're likely to buy it again: we'll probably stick to acorn and butternut squash.

*Cut the squash in half, put the halves face down on a baking dish, bake at 400°F (200°C), and when it's almost done turn it over, pour in butter (or margarine) and maple syrup, cook a few more minutes, serve.