Aren't these stuffed winter squashes just adorable?! Well, they're not just pretty to look at, they're easy to make, very nutritious, store for many weeks or even months in a cool, dry place (unlike summer squashes), and taste great when stuffed and baked - or roasted and pureed, made into soups, cut into chunks, baked into souffles, muffins, cookies, and other baked goods, made into pancakes, and so on and so forth. They're so versatile, they can be made into both sweet and savory dishes; the possibilities are endless!
I went a little crazy and purchased 5 different varieties this week:
clockwise from the right: butternut squash (the light-orange colored squash with the long neck), kabocha squash (large, dark green), delicata squash (small, yellow, and striped), acorn squash (small, dark green), and small dumpling squash (small, light orange)
I'll prepare them in different ways because the different tastes, textures, and sizes of each variety make them suitable for different ways of cooking. With the butternut squash, I plan to make a white bean & butternut squash soup with chicken, and with the kabocha squash, I'll make pancakes two different ways - as "ho bak jeon" (Korean-style squash pancakes made with julienned strips of squash) and as regular American-style pancakes. I may also make squash muffins if I have leftover squash - we'll see. Delicata, sweet dumpling, and acorn squash are small and therefore the most suitable winter squashes for stuffing, so I stuffed all three.
My favorite of the three is definitely the delicata squash (pictured above), which tastes somewhat like sweet potatoes. Sweet dumpling squash is mildly sweet and has a bit of a dry texture. I definitely liked it more than acorn squash, which has a creamy, slightly fibrous texture and a mild, nutty taste that I found to be slightly bitter also - and not the kind of slight bitterness that I love in other vegetables, such as kale, but the kind that reminded me of yellow summer squash and zucchini, neither of which I'm too fond of. (Growing up, I used to pick out all the individual yellow squash and zucchini from my plate.) However, with the great varieties of squash out there (and they don't all taste the same), pretty much everyone can find varieties that they love! I myself love pumpkin, butternut squash, and delicata squash - yup, all the orange-fleshed sweet flavored squashes.
If you're not a fan of squash of any kind, the stuffing I made is delicious on its own and can serve as a main course. The red wine quinoa component also makes for a great side dish, and the garlic ground beef, red peppers, and red onions component also makes a fantastic topping for pizza when combined with pineapple chunks and grated cheese - in fact, it's one of my all-time favorite pizza toppings. By the way, quinoa is not only light, fluffy, and delicious, it's nature's perfect grain (though it's technically not a grain, but a seed)- it has a complete set of amino acids, is high in fiber, iron, and B-vitamins, and is also gluten-free for those who are sensitive to wheat products.
| Garlic Ground Beef and Red Wine Tomato Quinoa Stuffed Winter Squash Ingredients: • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil • 8 small winter squash (delicata, acorn, or small dumpling squashes are good choices), about 1-1¼ lb each For red wine tomato quinoa • 2½ cups quinoa • 2 medium tomatoes • 1 bay leaf • 6 sprigs thyme • 3 cloves garlic • ½ cup red wine (I substituted red grape juice, instead) • 4½ cups chicken stock • sea salt and pepper, to taste For garlic ground beef • 3 pounds grass-fed ground beef • 1 teaspoon sea salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt (sea salt is often saltier than regular table or kosher salt) • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper • 2 medium red onions, diced • 3 red peppers, washed, seeded and diced • 2 bulbs or about 20 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed through a garlic press • 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano and 2 ounces Gruyere (optional) Directions: 1. Rinse and drain the quinoa in a rice cooker pot. Add tomato, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, kosher salt and pepper, red wine, and chicken stock to the pot, and cook the quinoa. 2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut 1-inch off the top of each acorn squash and scoop out the seeds with a spoon or a melon baller. If necessary in order for the squash to sit upright, cut off a small portion of the bottom. Rub the insides of each squash with extra-virgin olive oil and set them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. 3. Sauté the ground meat in a non-stick fry pan on medium heat until it is almost fully cooked, breaking the chunks apart with a spatula. Remove from the heat and drain the fat from the pan. Return the pan to the stove top and turn the heat on again to medium. Add the red peppers, onions, and garlic, and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 15-20 minutes. Add the cooked quinoa, stirring constantly and heating the mixture thoroughly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. 5. Divide the mixture evenly among the squash, top each squash with its lid and bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. (You may also begin baking the squash before you sauté the ground beef, as long as the total bake time is about 1 hour.) 6. Remove the lids and grate cheese (optional) on top of squash. Serve immediately. |
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