acorn squash stuffed with apple-almond-cherry basmati pilaf
A corn squash is a natural edible bowl that was born to
be stuffed. Here, it’s filled with a fragrant pilaf of basmati rice, sweet
onions, garlic, almonds, apples, and dried cranberries. Use plain raw almonds
(not roasted, salted, or otherwise processed), chopped with a sharp heavy knife
on a cutting board, or buzzed very briefly in a food processor. They don’t need
to be too fine—just coarsely chopped. Some people like the skin of cooked acorn
squash. If that’s you, eat this with a fork and a sharp knife, such as a steak
knife, to make cutting through the skin easier.
You can cook the rice and bake the squash at the same time. I’ve
provided a simple rice method here. You could also use a rice cooker (follow the
manufacturer’s instructions) or the slightly unconventional method on Chapter 7:
Sides, but for this smallish amount, I recommend just doing it as described
below.
1 cup brown basmati rice
1½ cups water (possibly more)
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 medium acorn squash (about 2 pounds each), halved and
seeded (see Chapter 4: Vegetarian Entrées)
1 teaspoon butter
½ medium red or yellow onion, minced
1/3 cup chopped almonds
¼ teaspoon minced garlic (about half a small clove)
Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
1 medium apple, chopped (unpeeled)
1. Combine the rice and water in a
medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat to the lowest
possible setting (insert a waffle heat absorber under the pot, if you have one),
cover the pot, and let the rice simmer undisturbed for 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack
to the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with
foil, and pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on it. Use your fingers to
distribute the oil so that it coats the area where you’ll put the squash. Place
the squash, cut side down, on the olive oil. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or
until you can easily insert a fork or a sharp knife into the squash from the
skin side.
3. While the squash is roasting
and the rice is cooking, place a small skillet over medium heat. After about a
minute, add the remaining ½ tablespoon (that’s 1½ teaspoons) olive oil, and
swirl to coat the pan. Add the butter and swirl until it melts into the oil. Add
the onion, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until it becomes very
soft and is beginning to turn golden. (If it appears to be browning too quickly,
turn the heat to medium-low.) Add the almonds and cook them with the onions,
stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the almonds begin to toast and
give off a lovely aroma. Stir in the garlic and salt, and cook for 5 minutes
longer. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. When the squash is done, remove
the tray from the oven, and set it aside. Turn the oven down to 300°F.
5. After 40 minutes of undisturbed
cooking, you may now disturb the rice by fluffing it with a fork. Give it a
taste. If it is a little too crunchy, add another 3 tablespoons water, and
without fluffing or stirring it further, put the top back on and let it sit for
another 10 minutes with the heat turned off. It will steam itself a little
further and become more tender.
6. When the rice is done to your
liking, transfer it to a medium-large bowl. Add the onion-almond mixture (using
a rubber spatula to scrape in all the delicious essence that might otherwise be
left in the pan) and toss until well combined. Add the apple and cherries, and
mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Turn the squash halves over, so
their cavities are facing up. Divide the rice mixture among the squash, using a
soup spoon to fill the cavities; pack down the filling and then mound the top.
(There will be a generous amount of filling. If it’s too much, you can snack on
it or serve it as a side-dish-refill component of the meal. I assure you no one
will complain.)
8. Cover the filled squash loosely
with a tent of foil, and return the tray to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes,
or just long enough to heat everything through. (If you like, you can skip this
step and just serve the squash halves as soon as you stuff them.)SPLITTING AND SEEDING ACORN
SQUASH
Cutting an acorn squash, especially when you want to end
up with two matching halves, is a process requiring both an appropriate knife
and a few minutes of utter focus. Make sure the knife is very sharp (always, but
especially here). Watch your squash-holding hand carefully as you steady the
squash and insert the point of the knife about ½-inch deep into the side of the
squash, directly into a groove between the ridges. After this initial cut,
patiently rock the knife to coax the squash open, continuing to follow the
groove. Keep at it, and at a certain moment the squash will split itself in
half. Use scissors to loosen the stringy flesh holding the seeds, then scrape
out the cavity with a spoon. (If you’d like to toast the seeds, see Chapter 1:
Soups). The squash is now ready to roast.
GET
CREATIVE
- Make this vegan by omitting the butter.
- Drizzle with some high-quality olive oil just before serving.
- Substitute dried cranberries, golden raisins, and/or dried currants for the dried cherries.
- Try other nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts.
- The filling makes a great pilaf on its own to serve as a side dish or to top with a cooked vegetable like Deeply Roasted Cauliflower or Delightfully Spiced Carrots .
- This is always a great way to prepare acorn squash without stuffing. Simply roast the squash halves, cut side down, as directed. When they’re cooked, you can eat them “as is,” or sprinkle a little brown sugar and melted butter over the cut sides, return them to the oven (turned down to 300°F), and bake for 10 minutes, until the sugar is melted and lightly caramelized.
- Toast the squash seeds and sprinkle a few on top just before serving.
- Serve with a green salad with Creamy Balsamic-Honey Dressing
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