STUFFTED ACORN SQUASH

The fall brings all plumply, full figure fruit and vegetable, to be able to survive the harsh winter...I love this full figures, dark colors, orange, purple, dark green, as color of the tree leaves, as color of natures...

Acorn squash is no exception: round, dark green outside, dark orange inside. I was so happy to find this recipe, because is bringing all the colors and all the strong taste of the fall, to the table...

    
 After you clean the squash,  prepare the stuffing.This stuffing is very tasty, but you can use any combination of vegetables and spices

 Ingredients:
 

4 small acorn squash, 1 to 1 1/4 pounds each
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, completely thawed, drained and chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Generous pinch kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut, clean and scoop the seeds out of the acorn squash,

Cut 1-inch off the top of each acorn squash and scoop out the seeds. If necessary in order for the squash to sit upright, cut off a small portion of the bottom.

 Put 1 of the 4 pieces of butter in the cavity of each squash. Set squash on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Set aside. 

 

My note: After you clean the squash,  prepare the stuffing.This stuffing is very tasty, but you can use any combination of vegetables and spices

In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the ground pork until no longer pink. Remove the meat from the pan, add the olive oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrot until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the white wine. 

Return the pork to the pan along with the cooked rice, spinach, pine nuts, oregano and salt and pepper, to taste. Stirring constantly, heat mixture thoroughly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Divide the mixture evenly among the squash, top each squash with its lid and bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. Serve immediately.

 

Put the stuffed squash into a sprayed pan with oil and prepare for baking: add water into a oven proof casserole and spray the end portion of squash with butter..When you serve, you use the top portion as an end piece, of the stuffed squash.

Bake for one hour, 400F and serve.

Bone appetite!

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004