Making the Most of the Tatume

My garden has transformed into a pumpkin patch of late. Pumpkins and squash vines have spread everywhere, climbing up my tomato cages and into the bean trellis.

Regular readers of my column might recall the praises I sing for Tatume squash, a wonderful dual-purpose variety that can be picked small and used like zucchini. Or you can allow it to mature on the vine into a small pumpkin. It resists the squash vine borer and it loves the heat. I think it’s the perfect squash for growing in this part of Texas.

But my patch of pumpkins and squash has grown so thick that I often miss the small green Tatume that are still producing despite the scorching summer heat. Sometimes I don’t notice them until they grow large and start turning orange. At this point, their rind gets quite hard. Like most hard-rinded squash, Tatume should be cured when it gets large. This involves leaving about two to four inches of stem on the squash when you pick it. Allow it to sit in the field for about 10 days. After that, it will store for many weeks without refrigeration.

Now I have several of these Tatume “pumpkins,” so I decided to cook one of them the other day.

You can prepare these mature Tatume squash just like any pumpkin or winter squash such as butternut or acorn squash. You can make them into a pie, roast them in an oven or puree them into a creamy soup. But there are so many other ways to prepare these fruits of the late summer.

The other evening I cooked a creamy Tatume squash and ham ragu that I served with egg noodles. You can try this recipe with any variety of winter squash. Here’s the recipe for the ragu: 1 Tatume squash ¾ lb. of ham, diced 3 medium tomatoes, chopped ½ onion, diced 3 cloves of garlic, minced ¼ cup chicken broth 1 cup of Mexican sour cream Salt and pepper Olive oil Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated Red pepper flakes (optional) Handful of basil, chopped (optional) Remove the stem and cut the Tatume in half. Scoop out the seeds and fibers from the cavity inside. An ice cream scoop works well for this job. Drizzle some olive oil on the two halves and sprinkle the flesh with salt. Roast in an oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes to an hour or until the flesh just begins to get soft but not cooked all the way. I did this step on my Traeger grill so I didn’t heat up the kitchen. I hoped it would add some smokiness to the dish, but I couldn’t really tell.

Remove the squash from the oven (or grill) and allow it to cool. At this point, the flesh should separate easily from the skin. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Chop the squash into cubes.

Add some olive oil to a saute pan and begin cooking the onion. When the onion becomes translucent, add the garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the ham and squash. Stir the pan a few times then add the chopped tomatoes and chicken broth. Saute for a few minutes until the squash is soft. Sprinkle several pinches Pecorino-Romano cheese. Then stir in the Mexican sour cream and cook the ragu just starts to bubble. Turn off the heat. Taste for salt and pepper and season as needed.

Serve over boiled noodles and garnish with chopped basil, red pepper flakes and more Pecorino-Romano cheese. You can substitute Parmesan cheese for the Pecorino-Romano. Enjoy!