I have a thing about squash this time of year. I see big gorgeous piles at the farmers markets or pass picturesque farm stands on country roads and it’s hard to resist the urge to pull over and throw a bunch in the car. I actually did this very thing a few weeks ago. A farmer down the street from some Wisconsin dwelling friends had quite the selection in the front yard of his farm. My wheels skidded a bit in the gravel as I pulled over with the intention of picking out a nice Halloween pumpkin. He had hundreds, sorted into various groupings of sizes and shapes as well as all the multicolored heirloom varieties. It was a fantastic selection. I settled on an absolutely gorgeous pumpkin with a long tapered stem for 5 bucks. I had a 10 or a 20 in my wallet and it wasn’t the kind of situation that bodes well for change so I picked up a few additional things to round it up. This is how I ended up with two small pie pumpkins and two acorn like squashes in the trunk next to my big orange beauty. It was a good day.
The two squashes I grabbed were lovely; acorn-like but yellow with dark green and orange splotches. Some image googling determined they were carnival squash, a cross between acorn and dumpling squash. Well, alrighty. I’d never had that variety but I read they’re similar in flavor to acorn but a bit sweeter so I treated them accordingly. (If you pick up an interesting squash on a whim and are not too sure what it is, this guide is very helpful.) I enjoy roasted squash of all kinds but there’s something you have to take into consideration: they can be rather bland. This is why it’s important to use a flavorful glaze or stuffing to amp up that flavor. Today, I used both.
It started with a jar of spicy harissa sauce, leftover from some past project. Harissa is a spicy aromatic chile paste that’s a widely used staple in North African and Middle Eastern cooking and this jar had been sitting in my refrigerator for a while. It needed a purpose. For years I’d bought my harissa as a paste in a tube so this jarred “sauce” was new to me. From what I can tell, this was just a looser version than the tubed paste and with a bit less concentrated heat. I saw one particular brand of this sauce in every grocery store – from Whole Foods to WalMart – so it’s readily available and though I looked, I never did find the tube type so I just went with what I had. As I said, it needed a purpose. Harissa – both tubes and sauces – vary wildly in terms of spice so use your best judgement as to the heat levels you desire. Mixed with some honey and roasted at a high temperature, it works quite nicely. (psssst – here’s a tip. I often use Mike’s Hot Honey to drizzle on the squash before roasting. It’s wonderful stuff.)
I filled the cavities with a stuffing to make it heartier and a bit more interesting, following a basic formula: grains for the bulk, nuts for crunch, dried fruit for sweetness, herbs for freshness and cheese for a little salty/savory punch. Anything goes and this is the perfect recipe for using whatever is in your pantry. I give several suggestions in the recipe header; switch it up as you wish. Todays mix took the lead of the harissa for a Middle Eastern twist: red quinoa, dates, dried apricots, walnuts, parsley and feta. The combination of salty/sweet with crunchy bites is irresistible and rather pretty too. It is a terrific fall dish and something to think about with Thanksgiving coming up if you have any vegetarian guests. It would be just perfect.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SEASONALLY APPROPRIATE. Pumpkins, gourds, squash. I can’t help myself, I buy more than I can possibly eat this time of year. Sometimes they just sit on the table and look pretty, to be honest. But I do eat my fair share and I learned long ago to doctor those suckers up so they actually taste like something. Sweetness works well, spicy is delicious and a little salt never hurt anything. This one works particularly well because it’s a mix and match situation; you can be very intentional or you can use what you got.
other squash recipes: Baked Squash Bread Pudding,Kale & Squash Salad, Pumpkin Hummus, Easy Squash Carrot Soup, Squash & Onion Tart, Roasted Delicata Squash – 4 Ways, Crispy Squash Sandwich, Thanksgiving Stuffing Stuffed Squash
eleven years ago: Chocoflan, Sour Cream Coffeecake, Apple Pear Crisp, Peach Crostada, Ratatouille, Classic Apple Pie
ten years ago: Peach Frozen Custard, Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Turnovers, Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas, Bangkok World Gourmet Festival
nine years ago: Blueberry Raspberry Cobbler, Plum Kuchen, PB&J Bars
eight years ago: Kale & Squash Salad
seven years ago: Roasted Ratatouille with Sweet Corn Polenta, Spiced Honey Maple Roasted Pears, Muhammara – the best sauce you’ve never heard of
six years ago: Aunt Patti’s Cornbread, Pumpkin Hummus, Whole Wheat English Muffins
five years ago: Machaca – Mexican Shredded Beef, Machaca Enchiladas, Small Batch Spiced Plum Butter, Cotija Cumin Shortbread, Simple Pear Tart
four years ago: German Apple Cheese Torte, Chicken Wing Friday – Miso Honey Butter Chicken Wings,
three years ago: Miso Butterscotch Blondies, Rosemary White Beans with Toasted Breadcrumbs, Tabbouleh Salad, Ottolenghi and Buttermilk Garlic Sauce, Yemen Schug (chili herb sauce), Easy Squash Carrot Soup
two years ago: Asian Flavored Pickled Watermelon Rind
last year: Minestrone
ROASTED STUFFED SQUASH – serves 4
Keep in mind, you can vary the stuffing an infinite number of ways. Rather than quinoa, use any grain or rice – wild or brown rice, wheat berries, millet, farro, kamut, etc. – and alter cooking times accordingly. You have to have a crunchy element so use any nuts or seeds you like or have on hand – pumpkin, sunflower, pine nuts, almonds. A few flax or chia seeds wouldn’t hurt. For the dried fruit, anything works – raisins, currants, cherries, cranberries, figs, blueberries, what have you. Fresh apple would be nice too. Fresh parsley is easy but dill, tarragon or a bit of rosemary would be nice. Don’t rule out leftover chicken or beef, diced or shredded fine, or a handful of cooked chickpeas, lentils or whatnot to make it a bit heartier. And while I call for acorn squash, any smaller variety will work – delicata, dumpling, small pumpkins, spaghetti, etc. Use the base recipe as a guide and take it any direction you wish.
for the squash:
2 medium acorn squash
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons harissa sauce (use a bit less if using harissa paste)
4 teaspoons honey
kosher salt
for the quinoa stuffing:
½ cup quinoa, rinsed (any color is fine)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ cups water
3-4 dates, pitted & chopped, about 2 Tablespoons
6-8 dried apricots, chopped, about 2 Tablespoons
2 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
¼ cup chopped scallion
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ teaspoon harissa sauce, optional
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- for the squash: use a sharp chef’s knife to slice cut in half from the tip to the stem. It’s easiest to work along the depressions, easing the knife carefully around the perimeter. With a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy bits.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, harissa sauce and honey.
- Drizzle half of this mixture on the cut side of each squash, rubbing into the cut sides and reserving the rest for later.
- Season each squash with a good pinch of salt.
- Place cut side down on the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Turn the squash cut side up, spread the remaining harissa/honey mixure all over the cut surfaces.
- Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until tender. Leave the oven on. There may be a pool of liquid in the squash centers; this is fine.
- While the squash is roasting, place the nuts on a small sheet pan and toast for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can do this in a small pan on the stovetop over medium.
- For the stuffing: in a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa, salt and water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, 12-18 minutes. You may have to add a few additional Tablespoons of water if the quinoa isn’t fully cooked. Just keep an eye on it.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the dates, apricots, garlic and lemon juice.
- Cover, and let the mixture steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Pour the quinoa mixture into a medium bowl; add the toasted nuts, scallion, parsley, pepper, olive oil and additional harissa sauce if using.
- Let cool before adding the feta, so it doesn’t overly melt. Gently stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt, if needed.
- Evenly divide the stuffing between the squash cavities.
- Return to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the stuffing is golden brown and dry on top.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and/or scallion and serve warm or room temperature.
- To do ahead: you can roast the squash and make the stuffing up to 1 day ahead. Let both come to room temperature, then stuff and roast as directed.
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STRESSCAKE 