Delicata Delish Food

DELICATA DELISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange the squash halves cut side up in a baking dish. Fill dish with about 1/4 inch water. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each half, and season halves with salt and pepper. Cover dish, and bake squash 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until very tender.
• Place quinoa in a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in pine nuts, and cook until golden. Gently mix into the pot with the cooked quinoa.
• Cut the squash halves in half, and fill each quarter with the quinoa mixture. Serve each stuffed squash quarter on a bed of the remaining quinoa mixture.

STUFFED DELICATA SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Rub 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the cut side of each squash half and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the squash is fork tender and starting to caramelize/turn golden brown around the edges.
• While squash roasts, place a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the ground pork and cook until browned, breaking up with a spatula as it cooks.
• Once browned, add the leeks, fennel and apple to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, stir to combine and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cranberries and fresh sage, cook until cranberries are just heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the filling into each roasted squash half and serve.

ROASTED STUFFED DELICATA SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F and position a rack in the middle.
• Wash the delicata squash and dry well. To make it easier to slice, place them (whole) in the microwave and warm for 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully remove them from the oven and slice each in half length-wise (use an oven mitten or wait until the squash is cool enough to handle). Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds making a cavity for the filling (discard the seeds or you can clean and roast them for later use).
• Brush the flesh, cleaned side of the delicata squash with olive oil (including the cavity). Season with kosher salt. Mix the ground cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl, and season the delicata squash with ½ of this mixture.
• On a large baking sheet, arrange the delicata squash halves, flesh-side down.
• Roast in the heated oven for 25 minutes or until fully cooked and tender. Using a pair of tongs, flip the squash over and return to the oven for just 5 more minutes.
• While the squash is roasting, prepare the filling. First, cook the farro in boiling salted water according to package instructions (mine took 2 cups of boiling water and 20 minutes of cooking time. Farro should absorb the cooking liquid. It is ready when it is tender and somewhat chewy).
• In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, cook the shallots, onions and garlic over medium heat, tossing for a bit, until softened (3 to 5 minutes). Season with kosher salt and the remaining nutmeg and cinnamon. Add in the nuts and dried fruit, and cook until warmed through. Add the cooked farro and toss to combine.
• Assemble the stuffed squash. When the squash is ready, transfer the squash halves to a serving platter. Spoon the farro filling into each squash cavity. Serve!