Opo Squash

Ask anyone that knows me- I eat weird food. More than anything, I am willing to try most things at least once, the exceptions being: raw meat, anything pickled in beet juice, stinky tofu (though I enjoy the non-stinky variety), things made from chocolate cake, and anything that resembles in anyway lard (and that includes mayo).

This summer, my mother found herself in possession of two opo squashes, roughly the size and shape of Louisville Sluggers. After chopping up and freezing 2/3 of the first squash, and frying the rest, my mom was at a loss with what to do with the second squash. Of course, the week she decides to give up cooking the opo is the week I show up for a visit. By the end of the week, the opo was covered in several inconspicuous plastic bags and smuggled into my car by my mother.

So, upon my return to Richmond, I had a three foot squash that I need to cook up and no idea what to do with it. I had read some where that opo and zucchini are similar enough in taste and texture that they can be substituted for one another. However, that seemed like a waste. It is a unique vegetable that you can't readily find in the markets in my area. Shouldn't I cook it in a dish it was intended for?

Wanting to maximize the veggie goodness, I opted first for Opo in Roasted Eggplant Sauce from Bread+Butter. Though I could not find a melon-baller describe in the recipe, I was able to find a veggie peeler that creates very thin ribbons about the diameter of angel hair pasta. Wanting to use the Opo in at least two dishes, I opted to only use the bottom half of the squash. Do you know how many veggie ribbons 1 1/2 feet of opo makes? Surprisingly, it makes only about 1 1/4 cups. (This opo had a very thick rind). All said and done, it was a very tasty dish, though the opo didn't stretch as far as I thought it would. Since I only have the veggie peeler, I will probably make it more of a dip or spread next time instead of a faux pasta. My husband on the other hand, who views veggies more as dietary obligations than nutritional goodies, would probably just prefer a PB&J.

After the Opo in Roasted Eggplant Sauce, I decided that making another unconventional dish might not be the best. My mother-in-law suggested making zucchini bread or, in this case, squash bread. Why not? I had another 1 1/2 feet of opo to use up. If anything, I learned that not all squashes are created equal. Oddly enough, the opo made the bread sweeter. However, the bread didn't set up as well. I might have put too much squash in, or the opo just produces more water.


So what did I learn from all this?

1.) One three foot squash does not make near the amount of food you think it would.
2.) Opo peeled ribbons do not make the best faux pasta.
3.) You should peel the opo before putting in through a food grinder.
4.) Make zucchini bread with zucchini. The jury is still out on opo-apple pie though....