If you were reading a newsletter from your local co-op (this presumes you to be probably a hippie and possibly vegetarian, or vegan), would this be a recipe you would consider? I am wondering if I overdid it with all of the asides but I think they're useful instructions, I might just need to rephrase them a little.
Vegetarian Stuffed Winter Squash
I did this with a big yellow squash, I have also tried it with smaller squash like acorn squash and you could probably do two smaller squash with this amount of stuffing.
1 large squash
4 slices interesting bread (I used the garden wheat from House of Bread and got rave reviews, it does have small slices though, if your loaf is bigger cut down on the bread)
1 sm. handful sage leaves (8-10 leaves, torn up)
1 c. shredded hard cheese (I have used parmesan and, in a pinch, provolone)
½ c. pine nuts (toasted, if you like)
1 sm. jar artichoke hearts
2 c. sliced mushrooms
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
Salt, pepper and spices to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half with a very big knife (this is the hardest part of the recipe, I promise), or in quarters if it is really big. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds like you’re going to carve a pumpkin. Drizzle with oil and stick in the oven (cut side down) on an oiled sheet pan for ½ hour or until it starts to get soft and a little brown around the edges.
Sautee the mushrooms with the garlic and onion in a drizzle of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste, this is where I add a dash of Italian spices as well.
Slice the artichoke hearts so they are less chunky.
In a clean bowl, whisk the two eggs together with a fork.
In a food processor, pulse the bread one slice at a time until crumbly. Add the sage leaves and shredded cheese so they get well incorporated. Don’t pulse the bread too much, you don’t want it to be totally breadcrumbs, just good and chunky. Pour into a large bowl. Mix in the cooked mushrooms, the toasted pine nuts and the sliced artichoke hearts until incorporated. Then drizzle the egg over the top and mix it in until everything is well coated and sticky. One last dash of salt and pepper and you’re ready to go!
Remove the squash from the oven and invert on the same sheet pan. Use a spoon to pack it with the stuffing mixture (don’t worry if a little bit spills, that just means it gets a little extra crispy). Return to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until the stuffing starts to get golden brown.
Serve warm. A spoon is useful for getting out all the nice soft juicy squash innards, they go well with the slightly crispy stuffing.
I will attempt to include a suitably mouth-watering picture, but I thought it would be nice because most of the ingredients are available at the co-op (except the bread I mention is from a local bakery). Anyone? Anyone?
2 comments:
Total non-hippie here, but it sounds fantastic. I may try it, as I'm all for doing things to winter squash that don't make them even sweeter than they already are (shudder).
Personally, though, yes, I would turn down the asides a notch or two.
I will work on the asides, I hope you try it, it is so tasty! Matt adores it too (although he tends to leave squash behind and just pick the stuffing out, but that means more squash for me).
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