Inside The Long of Naples Squash

Back in October I introduced you to an heirloom variety of squash called The Long of Naples.

This was the first squash of this type that I had ever seen. It was huge, about 25 pounds! Despite many attempts to find any information about this squash, I came up empty handed. The only info I found was where to buy seeds, or who was attempting to grow them. There was no information about what this beautiful squash tasted like, or how to cook it. So when faced with the unknown, the best thing a Chef can do is dive in and experiment for himself.

The Long of Naples is a very unique squash. It's morphology is like that of the Butternut Squash. The seeds are all at one, slightly bulbous end. The rest of the squash is solid flesh. That is where the similarities end. The color is very rich, like that of the Red Kuri Squash. It's flavor is interesting, somewhat reminiscent of squash and melon, but very delicate. It also has a squashy, melon-like perfume. Despite its size, it is not a particularly hard squash. I found it easier to work with than most hard squashes. Its flesh is also texturally different than most other hard squashes, again it reminded me of melon. It was even pleasant to eat completely raw as it is not a very starchy squash.

As far as cooking, I have been treating the Long of Naples like any other squash, though it is not very starchy, and exudes a lot of liquid. I pureed a piece of it into a soup (recipe follows), I mixed it with other squashes and potatoes in an Autumn Vegetable Hash (recipe to follow soon), and I simply sauteed some in brown butter with sage for a simple side dish. The flavor is delicate, but delicious.

Long of Naples Squash Bisque with Sage Cream, Fried Prosciutto, and White Truffles
Serves 6

• 4 cups Long of Naples Squash, diced small
• 2 medium Spanish onions, chopped
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced small
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Vin Santo
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 5 sage leaves, fresh
• 1/4 pound Prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced
• 1 small white truffle

Place 1/2 cup of the cream and sage leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, pour into a clean mixing bowl (metal is best), season with salt and pepper to taste, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Saute onions and apple in butter over medium heat in a large sauce pan until soft and translucent. Add squash and 2 cups of chicken stock, the nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and gently simmer for 1 hour. Stir from time to time. After 1 hour, check to see if squash is soft enough to make a smooth puree. To do this, gently squeeze a piece between your fingers to be sure there are no hard little grainy bits. If not cooked enough, gently simmer, covered, for 30 minutes more.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup, adding more hot chicken stock as needed to achieve a smooth puree the consistency of heavy cream. Return pot to gentle heat and add the Vin Santo and remaining 1/2 cup of cream. Adjust the seasoning, and gently simmer for 15 minutes.

While soup is simmering, chop prosciutto into large pieces. Gently fry in a small pan until it begins to get crispy. Add a little butter to the pan if needed. Once crispy, drain on paper towels and reserve.

Remove sage infused cream from refrigerator, strain out sage leaves, and whip to soft peaks. Reserve.

To serve soup:

Ladle hot soup into a bowl, top with a dollop of sage cream, sprinkle on fried prosciutto, and finish with a few shavings of white truffle. Serve immediately.