Acorn squash with wild rice stuffing

Blogger is formatting all weird right now. If I get a chance, I'll try to go back and fix the weird font changes and the fact that I can't seem to center the pictures.

A lot has happened to us since our last post. The big news is that Evelyn finally defended her thesis and will be graduating in May! We traveled a lot in December, and Jon has been traveling a lot this month too. We are getting back in the swing of this food blog. We've been making lots of food, trying new things, and even getting some good pictures (and some mediocre ones), but it's just been hard to get them on the blog. Here's a recipe from the beginning of the year, developed by Jon.

Evelyn and I were away from the 13th to the 31st of December, and as usual, travel meant not eating as well as normal. When we got back we were craving our usual food. I figured a stuffed squash would be a nice combination of not too rich and winter appropriate. Evelyn impulse-bought a bunch of wild rice when it was on sale, and we haven't been using it nearly quickly enough. We prefer to eat it with brown rice in a 1:1 ratio, so we always buy the two separately. A lot of blends you get skimp on the wild rice.

These were good, but we do have some ideas for next time. We think celery and nuts, particularly pecans, would be really good additions. We also tried topping one with a bit of cheddar, and that would be nice to try next time. We might also pour some apple juice or cider into each squash along with the stuffing to add some liquid and sweetness.

Acorn squash with wild rice stuffing

Makes two squashes with some leftover filling. Each squash is a nice dinner, but it's extra nice with a salad on the side, of course.

Two acorn squashes

1/2 cup wild rice

1/2 cup brown rice

2 cups vegetable stock or water

1 tbsp butter

1/4 onion

6 white mushrooms

1/4 cup dried cherries (preferably unsweetend)

Make the rice.Preheat oven to 400. Chop off the tops of the squashes and remove the innards.

Pour the rice and vegetable stock into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook until rice is tender, adding more water or stock if necessary.

While the rice is cooking saute the the onions and mushrooms in butter until soft and onions are translucent. Chop the dried cherries.

When the rice is done, combine cherries, onions and mushrooms and place mixture in squash. Re-top squashes and place stuffed squash in a pan with a 1/4 inch of water. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or longer if necessary to cook squash through.

Jerk miscellany

I gave away most of our pantry foods before leaving Houston, but spices are small and expensive enough that it was worthwhile to bring them up to Chicago. While I was cleaning out my spice cabinet, I discovered this jerk seasoning blend I had made, used once, and forgotten about, so when I got up here, I wanted to use it. We made this last week as a fridge clean-out meal. We had half a butternut squash leftover from an excellent risotto, some cooked rice from making burritos, and part of a bunch of kale that was on its last legs. Without the rice, I think this would also make a good filling for a savory pie. I've never actually had Jamaican meat or veggie pies, so I don't really know, but it seems plausible.

Jerk miscellany

1 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb butternut squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
3/2-inch piece ginger, minced
5/4 tsp jerk seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1 can black beans, or 2 cups cooked black beans (if using non-canned, add more salt)
1 cup cooked rice
5 leaves of kale, hard stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

Saute the onion, squash, and pepper in the oil until the squash is almost tender. Add the garlic, ginger, jerk seasoning, and salt, stir to combine, and cook for one minute. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until squash is done and kale is wilted.

Spiced Butternut with Amaretto

I had more squash than I needed for the bread pudding on Thanksgiving, so I made this up to use the extra. I like the combination of squash and Indian spices, and I added the amaretto to enhance the sweetness and give it some liquid for steaming. I ate mine on a bed of kale, but Jon preferred it on its own. He said some very nice things about it. "I can imagine getting this in an Indian restaurant and commenting about how the spices are interesting without being overpowering and how difficult that is to do at home. I really like it." I felt like a brilliant culinary goddess.

Spiced butternut with amaretto

1 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp amaretto (or white wine or apple juice)
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the squash and let sit for about two minutes without stirring to try to develop a little browning. Add the onion and stir. Saute for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the garam masala over the top and stir to combine. Add the amaretto all at once and quickly put the lid on the pot for maximum steaming. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let steam for about ten minutes or until squash is soft enough for you. Stir once or twice during this time. Remove from heat, and add salt to taste at the table.

Butternut-kale bread pudding

This was in Orangette's column in the November issue of Bon Appetit, and it will be on our Thanksgiving table. It is autumnal and indulgent and kaley. The first time we tried the recipe, we forgot the salt, and it wasn't very good. It's amazing what a difference a little salt makes. The second time we tried it, it was fabulous. I love the way the kale on the top dries out and gets a little chewy. This recipe has six eggs, a bunch of half and half, and a ton of cheese, so I wouldn't recommend it for everyday eating, but it's perfect for a food-centric holiday when you want to be a little naughty and undo the top button of your pants.
Butternut-kale bread pudding
I made a couple small changes to the original recipe. They are reflected below.

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp olive oil (not extra-virgin), divided
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
7 eggs
2 1/4 cups half and half
6 tbsp dry white wine
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 day-old baguette, crusts intact, torn or sliced into 1-inch pieces (get the grocery store to slice it for you to save some time and effort)
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
5 oz extra-sharp cheddar, grated

Heat oven to 400 F. Place squash in a large baking pan, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 20 minutes or until squash is soft, stirring occasionally.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, wine mustard, and salt. Gently stir bread into mixture and let it soak for about 30 minutes, turning once or twice.

Saute onion in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat until translucent. Add kale, cover, and cook just a couple minutes, until kale is bright green but slightly wilted. Set aside.

After the squash comes out of the oven, reduce temperature to 350 F. Butter or oil 9"x13" baking dish thoroughly. (I use the same dish for the squash as for the final product, and I oil it in between.) Place about half the bread mixture on the bottom. Spoon about half the kale over it, top that with half the squash, and then cover with half the cheese. Repeat with the remaining bread, kale, squash, and cheese, pouring any leftover egg mixture over the top. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until custard is set and feels a little springy. If exploding Pyrex hasn't scarred you for life, turn on the broiler and broil it for 2 minutes to get the cheese nice and brown. Let cool for five minutes before serving.

Butternut squash and apple cider soup

It feels kind of like fall is here, at least Houston's version of fall. I had tea and granola on the balcony this morning, and it was pleasantly cool. It's in the 80s this afternoon, but the humidity is low, so we can imagine that it's crisp outside even if it is a little warm. This is a great fall soup. Squash is of course a classic fall ingredient, and the warm curry spices and sweetness of the cider are perfect when the weather is cooler. With a nice green salad or a big helping of sauteed kale and maybe some crusty bread, this makes a healthy, hearty dinner. The recipe is from Jeanne Lemlin's Vegetarian Classics, my very first vegetarian cookbook. My grandparents got it for me the year I "converted", and it's full of good, solid recipes I keep coming back to.

Butternut squash and apple cider soup
Serves 4 as a main course.

3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3 cups water
3 cups apple cider
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 7 cups)
1/3 cup uncooked white rice
1 tsp salt

Heat the oil at medium in a large soup pot. Add onions and garlic and saute until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle on the curry powder, toss, and cook one minute. Pour in the water and cider, then stir in the butternut squash, rice, and salt. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the squash is very soft, about 20 minutes. Conveniently, the rice will be done by then too. Puree in batches in a food processor or use a hand blender and blend it in the pot.

Bonus recipe:
Instead of throwing out the butternut squash seeds, you can roast them like you would pumpkin seeds. Lightly coat them with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, seasoned salt, cayenne, or whatever suits your fancy, and roast them at 400 F until they start turning golden. I do this in the toaster oven because it's really easy to monitor them.

Butternut squash gnocchi

I made this gnocchi recipe with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes last night. It worked beautifully. Crystal said that when she tried it, her squash was very wet, so she had to add a lot of flour to combat that, diluting the squash taste. I was prepared to battle wet squash, but mine was no wetter than the sweet potatoes. My theory is that I had a very old squash, and it had dried out somewhat. I don't remember when I bought it, but I know it was in the cabinet before I went to Europe in early June, and I didn't buy groceries for about a week before we left, so it was at least 2 1/2 months removed from the store. Perhaps using an old squash is the way to go with this recipe. Anyway, I used the exact same recipe as before, so I won't copy it here. It definitely tasted squashier, but it was still a delicate flavor. Jon and I loved it, and there were no leftovers. We ate it with butter instead of the usual olive oil and of course topped it with parmesan cheese.