Mashed potatoes and kalabasa (squash)
August 22, 2006
Filed under Asia & beyond, Healthy veggies
Almost two years ago, my then 12-year-old daughter thought that what we could do with potatoes, we could do with kalabasa (squash). And our side dish of mashed kalabasa was born. Wonderful as it tasted, it was much mushier than mashed potatoes. In fact, it was kind of watery. Then someone, I forget who, suggested combining kalabasa with potatoes. Well, after almost two years, I finally took up the suggestion. I even went a step farther–I added chopped onion and garlic sauteed in butter.
There you see it in the photo–the mashed potatoes and kalabasa that accompanied tonight’s dinner of lechon sa hurno.
And because I happened to have a couple of Chinese ham bones, I simmered the kalabasa and potatoes in water together with the bones. I’ll let your imagination do its thing. 
Ingredients :
1/4 of a whole kalabasa (squash)
1/2 k. of potatoes
1 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic
4 tbsps. of finely chopped onion
1/3 c. of butter
a pinch of pepper
salt
a cup of milk
chopped parsley for garnish
Cooking procedure :
Cut off the skin of the squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut into wedges.
Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges.
Place the vegetables in a large cooking pan and add about 2 cups of water. Simmer, preferably with ham or meat bones, for 20 to 30 minutes or until very tender. There should be very little liquid by the time the vegetables are done.
While the vegetables simmer, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion and cook gently until soft. Keep warm.
Drain the squash and potatoes, place in a large bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Add the garlic and onion, with the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until blended. Pour in the milk and stir until all of the milk has been incorporated.
Sprinkle with some chopped parsley before serving.
It was really great with the lechon but I bet it will be just as good with grilled fish or fried chicken.
In the mood for more food?
Comments
About Pinoy Cook
- About the author
- Cooking philosophy
- Food photography
- The noche buena section
- Product review policy
- Terms of use
- Privacy policy
- Recipe archive
- Published articles
- Food from all over
- E-mail the author
Readers
Love tofu?
- Beef con tokwa
- Lumpiang tinapa at mangga (smoked fish and mango spring rolls)
- Smoked salmon and tofu stir fry
- Chicken, tofu and kangkong (water / swamp spinach) with chili garlic sauce
- Tofu in oyster sauce
- Tofu and baby corn stir fry
- Tofu, spinach and bean sprouts stir fry
- Budget cooking part 3 (twice-cooked chicken and tofu)
- Another beef and tofu stirfry
- Tokwa’t isda sa gata (fish and tofu in coconut milk)
Chicken recipes
- Cooking for Father’s Day? Here’s an idea.
- Capsicum halves stuffed with chicken, cheese and vegetables
- Chicken and mangoes in yogurt
- Pork and chicken in coco milk and pesto
- Lumpiang pabo (turkey spring rolls)
- Chicken livers and string beans
- Roast turkey with rice stuffing
- Chicken a la king
- Chicken, squash and zucchini saute
- Chicken and potatoes in lemon-cream sauce
Sidenotes
- Peach and cherry upside-down cake for dessert tonight. Home-baked, naturally. 3 days ago
- Just got back from the supermarket. Lots of veggie dishes in the next couple of days. 3 days ago
- I thought PLDT sucks. Globe is worse. http://tinyurl.com/6fhnzc Of course, they're dying to make amends now. 4 days ago
- More updates...
-
Order now!
-
In focus
That’s an interesting take on the traditional mashed potatoes! The best mashed potatoes I’ve had, and have successfully duplicated, actually had roast garlic and whole grain mustard added to it. I had that dish when I went to Ireland and was served gloriously tender lamb shanks on a bed of roasted garlic-mustard mashed potatoes.
By the way, I think Sam is a future star chef in the making.
A combination of potato + orange sweet potato/carrots work REALLY well too. I love orange sweet potatoes, but mashed by itself it’s a bit too watery and sweet.
Marie, roasted garlic sounds delicious. I should experiment some more.
Sam wants to become a pro chef. She should talke over this blog in a few years. 
Rose, isn’t sweet potato too fibrous for mashing?
Yeah, which is why the potato is great for giving it more body. Sweet potato and potato mash is great with steak and gravy.
Just curious,
I’m on a special date…trying to get my abs back…love filipino food…but just so fatty. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi! I am an OFW currently working in a food factory here in Dubai, UAE. I have been browsing your blogs for quite sometime already, and I keep on browsing them to maintain variety for my meal and baon as well. Thanks to you!
For mashed potato or mashed kalabasa, you can also try combination of margarine-sauteed celery and onion plus grated cheese!
Allan
Re #4. Ah, I’ll try that soon. Need good steak.
Re #5. SOME dishes are fatty. Veggies and fish dishes rarely are.
Re #6. Cheese! Oh, yes.
Hello,
This might be OT, but I saw your blog being feaured in ANC last night. I just can’t help but congratulate you, and the successes that you have experienced. I certainly learned a lot from the show, and you have inspired me to be a better blogger, thanks.
More power,
Chymera of Exploreilolio.com
Hi Chymera. A toast to better blogs.
Hi Connie,
my first time to write here and just recently found out this pinoycook site, i found ur recipes very interesting, really looks delicious especially the baked creamy chicken and potatoes, will surely try that this weekend, too bad im an office girl and can cook only on weekends for my family. I really love to cook but not adventurous to try new dishes but when i saw ur recipes it’s like i wanna go home and try to cook anything on my mind hehehhe….
By the way we went on fishing yesterday and we have a freshly catch big big tilapia and carpa “the fisherman said it’s carpa coz i dont know the name of the fish…anyway can u suggest some recipe for this? for the tilapia i plan to cook sweet and sour, for the carpa they say its best to cook it only steamed tiop w/ mayo…can u teach me or can u advice some twist on this recipe or can u suggest other recipe for this???
thanks for the help, looking forward for ur reply…thanks mwah!
weng, you can cook the carpa just like any other fish of the same size. i’m not particularly fond of cooking them because we used to have them for pets.