Saturday, November 7, 2009

The humble acorn squash

For some reason, I didn't eat much squash growing up.  But as an adult, I've really grown to love them. First of all, they come in many shapes, colors, and sizes, which makes them fun to shop for. Second, they can be very pretty, even uncooked, just sitting on your kitchen counter. Third, they're very good for you. And fourth, I like the way they taste, which is the real dealbreaker in the Hungry Dog's kitchen.

We got two acorn squash recently and I spent a week or two mulling over what to do with them. I'm not sure if it's good or bad for squash to sit around, but that's what often happens to squash at my house. If I can't see any outward signs of deterioration, I assume it's ok to for them to hang around for a bit. I wonder if they get bitter as they get older? That's probably something I could research on the Interweb. But you know, I'm sick of researching stuff that way. I think too much of my life is spent Googling things I only have a middling interest in.

Back to the squash. Aren't they pretty? I like the little orange spots on the right one.


Squash are fine roasted and relatively plain. But I liked the idea of jazzing them up, taking them from a pleasant but unexciting side dish to a satisfying and striking main course. So, I decided to stuff them.

The first step was cutting them open, pulling out the seeds, and roasting them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. They're pretty on the inside, too.


While the squash roasted, I considered the stuffing. I had a few things in the fridge that needed to be used up, including some San Marzano tomatoes, two Saags sausages, and some fresh herbs. I was inspired by my fellow blogger Bob, who seems fearless when it comes to forging ahead without recipes, only armed with what he's got on hand and what he's in the mood to eat. I love that. So here's to you, Bob.

I made some pseudo-Mexican rice, with tomatoes, onion, garlic and chicken broth. Once the rice was done, I mixed in the diced-up sausages, parmesan, and chopped parsley and chives. Then I tucked the stuffing into the baked squash and sprinkled a little extra cheese on top.

This is what they looked like as they were about to go into the oven. Not bad, poor lighting aside.


I baked them for about 15 minutes, just to warm up the stuffing and melt the cheese, then stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes for color and crispiness. And what do you know, stuffed acorn squash is pretty good! Although, it could have used a little sauce, a finishing touch to pull it all together.


Acorn squash would be delicious stuffed with any number of things: risotto, ratatouille, orzo, jambalaya. You could make the filling as simple or as complex as you like. Anything that provides deep flavor and heartiness would work well and elevate the humble, mild-mannered squash to main dish status.

12 comments:

  1. Sqaush seems to be able to sit around for quite a while actually. My mother used to put butter and brown sugar in them and bake them. I noticed 101 Cookbooks filled hers with a corn pudding. I like your rice idea- gives the squash some nice texture and color!

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  2. Acorn squash is one of my favorites...this looks like it was wonderful :)

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  3. I made stuffed squash for dinner last night! It's one of my faves. These look delicious - great filling!

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  4. I love squash too, and acorn squash happens to be one of my favorites. It's a shame Korea doesn't harvest them because I am craving your dish right now!

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  5. Same here, we didn't have a lot of squash growing up, aside from some zucchini my mom would sometimes incorporate into a vegetable dish. Now I can't imagine life without it! Lovely autumnal acorn squash post -- they're perfect as edible bowls!

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  6. Stuffing things is one of my favorite cooking tricks. The kids love it, and my vegetarian friends think it's cool.

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  7. Hey, I was a late squash (or as we say - pumpkin) bloomer too. I think they keep forever. When my in-laws harvest their squash/pumpkins, they leave them in an airy place to dry out - so I think they'd be fine as long as kept dry.

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  8. Just found your blog and I'm so glad I did! You've got some GREAT recipes!!! YUMMM! I love squash, and its SO nutritious! :)
    -Mini Baker :)

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  9. What a beautiful dish you came up with and in its own edible bowl, too. By the way, you can keep acorn squash and other hard squashes like that around for awhile without them going bad.

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  10. I recently titled one of my blog posts Long Keeper Squash. They seem to last nearly forever.I like acorn squash filled with a mixture of curried fruit.

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  11. a filling involving sausage, spicy rice, and cheese would be good in anything, and i love when the thing you're stuffing is just as good as what you put in it. i adore all squash, and the acorn variety is right up there among my favorites!

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  12. Good to know that you all seem to think squash can sit around for awhile, too! I am really looking forward to experimenting with other stuffings--the options are endless.

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