Sunday was the first day of autumn.
Another growing season has come and gone, and while veggies will continue to mature in our gardens and the fields of area farmers, this time of year is more about harvesting than growing.
As such, this will be my last Reciplease! post, at least for now.
But I’m going out with a bang, because … well, you’ll see. And hopefully taste.
You’ve probably seen the fare at your favorite markets change a lot since they opened in May. From onions (and more onions), salad greens and the first asparagus (and more asparagus), to the arrival of the strawberries, the sweet peas, the cherries and the cucumbers. By mid-summer, blueberries, apricots, peaches, zucchini and corn took over.
Then, of course, came tomatoes. And more tomatoes. Even yes, even more tomatoes.
I endeavored to pepper in some unusual foods as well, like foraged fiddleheads, rhubarb and kohlrabi. And with fairly common foods like green beans and mushrooms, I tried to offer something a little different, a bit heartier, when it came to the recipes.
Ever wonder what these are? They’re pattypan squash, and they’re delicious. Photo by Flickr user Svaldifari.
And with a huge crop of fall and winter squashes coming into prominence at markets and roadside stands, I thought we should talk about acorn squash — specifically, the best acorn squash recipe I’ve ever come across.
If you didn’t know, there are, like, a million types of squash. If you’ve never tried spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti noodles, do that. If you’ve never brushed pattypan squash with olive oil or butter, wrapped it in foil and thrown it on the grill, by all means, do that.
But get yourself to market and bring home some acorn squash. I got mine at the Horn Farm Center table at last weekend’s Mother Earth Harvest Fest at Spoutwood Farm, Codorus Township.
Shaped like, yup, an acorn, and ranging in color from dark green to golden to splotched, acorn squash has a sweet, nutty flavor that really complements creamy chevre cheese. (Spoiler alert: The recipe you are about to see will use chevre cheese.)
Basic cooking tip: The easiest way to prepare large squashes like this is to chop them into even halves and place them cut side down in a pan or baking dish that will hold about an inch of water. Bake until the center of the halves is tender (it’s hard to give an exact time because squashes seem to range from tennis ball-sized to Volvo-sized). The skin will slide right off, and you can spoon out the flesh and add it other veggies or eat it by itself. This method is also the first step in the upcoming recipe.
Savory or sweet? Many squashes taste just as good sprinkled with salt as they do drizzled with a little honey. Experiment and see which ones you like best.
Acorn squash. Photo by Flicker user The Shifted Librarian.
Fig and orzo stuffed acorn squash (adapted from a cookbook called “Dueling Chefs: A Vegetarian and a Meat Lover Debate the Plate”; recipe serves 4)
- 2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 sweet onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 cup water with ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup dried or fresh chopped figs
- 1 cup toasted walnuts
- 1 cup chevre cheese
- ¼ cup capers
- ½ cup fresh parsley, minced, or ¼ cup dried
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake squash, cut side down, in 1 to 2 inches of salted water, uncovered, until tender (40 minutes for medium-sized acorn squash).
While the squash is baking, prepare the stuffing. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened and browned. Add the orzo and sauté a few more minutes, stirring constantly. Add the salted water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, simmering the mixture until the orzo absorbs the water and becomes tender. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
This de-seeded acorn squash half is the perfect “bowl” for a stuffing of orzo, figs, cheese and walnuts. Photo by Flicker user Morydd.
When the squash is finished, remove it from the water and fill each of the four halves with a quarter of the stuffing. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
If you choose small acorn squashes, a few crab or lentil cakes or the last of summer’s sweet corn on the cob would pair well with it. Larger squashes, however, will make a complete meal.
Just be sure to eat the “bowl,” too.
