Yugoslavian Finger Squash

By on December 17, 2011 in Discoveries, Fall, Vegetarian
Originally I wanted to title this post “Manos: The Squash of Fate,” but I thought that might mess with Google’s search function.  The Yugoslavian Finger Squash–in case you don’t have one hanging around–is an heirloom squash variety that apparently can be eaten young like a summer squash or mature like a winter squash.  Our C.S.A. share only provided the latter, so I cannot vouch for their summer squash attributes.

Each of the three squash we received was about the size of a small cantaloupe with stubby tentacles. They are a lovely cream color and the top lops off easily to remove the seeds.  I did just that, and hollowed them out, baked them for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, and then stuffed them with a mixture of kale, olives, lemon, garlic, and feta, and then baked the squash for another ten minutes to heat the filling through.

The verdict: really cool looking, but not my favorite squash.  The texture is really fine-grained and a little dry, and the flavor is extremely subtle (o.k., bland).  They do have a mild artichoke-type taste that went well with the Greek-inflected stuffing.  These would be fun to grow for how unusual they look, but it will take us a while to eat all three of these babies.  My two cents on the Yugoslavian Finger Squash.  If you want to try to grow this interesting vegetable, you can purchase seeds here.

Thanks for reading,

-Angela

11 Responses to Yugoslavian Finger Squash

  1. Lucy December 17, 2011 at 9:20 pm #

    These look similar to pattypans or cymling squash, both of which I think are cute as buttons and taste like sawdust. I like your twist with them!

    Reply
  2. Reeni December 17, 2011 at 9:40 pm #

    These are so strange looking! The filling sounds incredibly good! Bet it would be delicious stuffed in a spaghetti or kabocha squash.

    Reply
  3. Angela December 17, 2011 at 9:49 pm #

    Lucy, they do look just like giant pattypans, and I agree with your assessment! Reeni, I think it would be good in a kabocha–I loooove kabocha.

    Reply
  4. Denise Heikinen December 18, 2011 at 1:09 am #

    The recipe looked so good until I got to the analysis at the end! Maybe you just need to give them about two more chances. Keep at it!

    Reply
  5. Lisa @ Snappy Gourmet December 18, 2011 at 2:54 am #

    That squash is cute and freaky all at the same time. Looks like an octopus, but in a cute way. :) Love the idea of stuffing it!

    Reply
  6. marla December 18, 2011 at 4:03 am #

    I have never seen this squash, but it looks so intriguing.

    Reply
  7. Regina December 19, 2011 at 4:44 pm #

    Now that is wild looking..To do list…
    Thanks for sharing—Regina

    Reply
  8. visionsofsugarplum.com December 20, 2011 at 4:19 am #

    These look cool. I've never seen them before. I admire you for trying it! The stuffing sounds great.

    Reply
  9. Natasha Price December 23, 2011 at 7:05 pm #

    Very interesting looking squash, fun to experiment with new ingredients for sure.

    Reply
  10. Angela February 3, 2013 at 9:27 pm #

    Love your review, It has been helpful. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Angela February 3, 2013 at 11:02 pm #

      Glad to help!

      Reply

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