Use winter squash for delicious, edible bowls
Not only are they dramatic-looking on dinner plates, these gourds are good for you. The soft, rich, comforting flesh is fat free, high in Vitamin C and low in calories.
Hemispheres of acorn squash – readily available this time of year and often slightly deeper than their counterparts – work particularly well for single servings. Fill the basins with ingredients like caramelized onions, winter greens, wild mushrooms, bacon, apples or dried cranberries along with couscous, quinoa, rice, orzo, wheat berries or bulgar. Or, opt for extra-creamy, super-comforting mac ’n’ cheese.
Use a measuring cup, teacup or small, squat bowl as a mold, firmly packing in the filling then turning it upside down to create a uniform mound atop the depression – and a pretty presentation. Sprinkle pecorino, Parmesan or gorgonzola on the mixture, browning it in the oven just before serving.
Enjoy bites of savory stuffing along with the flesh of the squash boats until only the skin remains, collapsed on the plate – a sign of a consumed, hearty, comforting and satisfying cold-weather supper.
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chicken and Kale
Prepare this cardamom-scented chicken-and-kale stuffing while the squash halves are roasting, and the recipe comes together in about an hour.
2 acorn squashes (1 1/2 pound each), halved pole to pole and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup couscous
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup Parmesan, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush squash halves with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper, then place, cut-side down, on a baking sheet. Roast 45 to 55 minutes, until flesh is soft and tender.
Meantime, bring stock and 1 tablespoon oil to boil in a medium saucepan, add couscous, remove from heat and cover with lid. Let couscous stand, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes. Fluff with fork. Set aside.
Season flour with salt and pepper and use to coat chicken. Heat remaining oil in a large and heavy-based saucepan and sauté chicken, in batches if necessary, until golden and thoroughly cooked. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté gently for 3 to 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add kale and spices, and mix until well combined. Turn off heat and return chicken to the pan. Gently stir in couscous, pine nuts and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove squash halves from oven. Using a large spatula, gently turn over each one, then fill each one with the chicken-and-kale mixture.
Use a measuring cup, shallow mug or other, small and squat container as a mold, firmly packing in the filling. Turn filled container upside down atop the mixture in the depression of each squash half to create a uniform mound. Sprinkle each one with remaining cheese.
Broil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then serve.
Yield: 4
Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash
From healthycrush.com
Here’s a vegetarian option with quinoa, mushrooms and tempeh or chickpeas.
1 large acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (any variety)
1/2 package organic tempeh or 1/2 cup chickpeas
A few splashes of tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
A sprinkle of cayenne
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts (or pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds)
A sprinkling of sage, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut acorn squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds.
Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and pop into the oven. Bake for 1 hour.
Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and tempeh or chickpeas to a pan with either a tiny bit of oil or just a little water and a few splashes of tamari, and a sprinkling of cayenne. Cook until onions are translucent and all ingredients are starting to brown up a bit.
Add cooked quinoa to onion mixture in pan and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and put into a large bowl.
Add basil, raisins and pine nuts to the quinoa mixture and stir well.
After 45 minutes, remove the squash from the oven and stuff with the stuffing. Cook another 15 minutes with stuffing inside.
When squash is very soft when pierced with a fork, and starts to turn a little golden brown around the edges, it’s ready. Top with sage.
Note: If you eat cheese, you might add a little bit of crumbled goat cheese to the top.
Yield: 2
Ground Beef-Stuffed Acorn Squash
From TasteOfHome.com
2 large acorn squashes, halved and seeded
1 cup water
3/4 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium tart apple, chopped
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup sunflower kernels
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 egg, beaten
5 teaspoons brown sugar, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
4 teaspoons butter
Invert squash in two ungreased 13-by-9-inch baking dishes. Add water and cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, cook the beef or turkey, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Add the apple, rice, sunflower kernels and curry. Cook and stir until apple is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in egg, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet. Place 1 teaspoon remaining brown sugar and 1 teaspoon butter in each half. Sprinkle with remaining salt. Fill with meat mixture.
Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
Yield: 4
Note: Acorn squashes are easier to cut in half if you first soften them in the microwave for a few minutes. Always pierce squash with a fork before microwaving to allow steam to escape.