Sunburst Squash Stuffed With Spinach And GruyÈre Food

CREAMED SPINACH WITH GRUYERE

Steps:

• Coat a large, straight-sided saute pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard.
• Add half of the spinach to the pan, season with salt and saute until gently wilted. Remove the spinach from the pan to a towel-lined colander set inside a bowl to let the spinach drain and cool. Repeat the process with the remaining garlic and spinach and another pinch of crushed red pepper. Squeeze the towel to remove most of the liquid from the spinach.
• Remove any liquid from the bottom of the saute pan and coat lightly with olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the shallots and season with salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Saute until the shallots are translucent and very aromatic, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the butter and, when melted, stir in the flour. Cook until it is the texture of wet sand, 5 to 6 minutes. Whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Taste for seasoning and season with salt, if needed, (it will). Bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally so the milk doesn't scorch on the bottom. Stir in the Gruyere and Parmigiano until melted. Add the reserved spinach and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with a sprinkle of Parmigiano and serve.

CREAMED SPINACH STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
• Place the halved butternut squash into a deep roasting pan then season with the salt.
• Pour the boiling water into the pan and cover with foil.
• Place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-45 minutes until soft. Once roasted, scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh. Set aside.
• While the butternut is roasting, make the creamed spinach. Saute the onion and garlic in 2 tsp of olive oil until soft and translucent.
• Add the spinach and cook until wilted then add the flour and stir into the spinach. Pour in the milk and stir until the sauce is smooth then add the cream. Allow to simmer gently for 7-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and smooth. Season to taste and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the mozzarella cheese.
• Once the butternut is roasted, spoon the creamed spinach into the hollows of each butternut and top with Parmesan cheese.
• Place back in the oven and allow to cook until the tops are golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and serve.

SUNBURST SQUASH STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND GRUYÈRE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Fill a large pot three-fourths full of water and bring to a rolling boil. Drop the squash into the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain well and let cool. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each squash, removing just enough so that it will stand upright. Then slice off the tops (approximately 1/2 inch thick) and hollow out the centers, leaving a thin shell. Set aside. (Reserve the nominal amount of squash removed from the centers for another use or simply discard.) In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic and sauté approximately 10 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the soy sauce and add the spinach. Raise the heat to medium-high. Sauté for approximately 5 minutes, or until the spinach is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly, then season with the nutmeg, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Stir in the egg and 1/2 cup of the Gruyère and mix well. Mound the mixture into the hollowed-out squas

SQUASH, MUSTARD & GRUYèRE GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook slowly over a low-medium heat, stirring every now and then, for 10-15 mins until golden and soft.
• Meanwhile, put the garlic and half the sage in a saucepan, add the cream and milk, and heat gently, not allowing the mixture to boil, for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 mins, then fish out the sage and garlic. Stir in the mustard and season well.
• If cooking straight away, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Layer the pumpkin slices, onions, most of the cheese and the infused cream into a large baking dish, finishing with a layer of cream. Once you've used the ingredients up, scatter with the remaining cheese and put the remaining sage leaves on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 mins.
• Uncover the dish and increase the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cook for a further 20-30 mins until golden brown and tender all the way through. Leave to cool for 10 mins before serving.

RICE STUFFED SUNBURST / PATTY PAN SUMMER SQUASH

Steps:

• Use a saute pan (with a lid) that will fit your 4 whole squash evenly. Add about 3 inches of water, lightly salt it and bring to a boil. Make sure your squash sit nice and flat -- cut off a bit on the bottom if need be, just not too much or you'll go through.
• Place your squash in the boiling water, cover and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes, until just fork tender. While the squash cooks, chop up your other ingredients.
• Once the squash is done, remove them gently and set them aside. Drain the water and clean out your pan.
• Returning the pan to the stove, heat the 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for just a few minutes, watching it doesn't burn.
• Add in the raw rice and stir to coat. Add in the broth and bring to a boil. Depending on your broth, you may want to season with salt and pepper. Once at a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Cook for 45 minutes - at which time the rice should be cooked and liquid fully absorbed. (Depending on your rice, you may need slightly longer).
• While the rice cooks, cut the tops off of the squash (just below the green part). You want enough of a opening to work with, without wasting too much of the squash. Next, scoop out some of the insides being careful not to break through the sides or bottom. I like to score a circle using a paring knife and then scoop out with a regular teaspoon. It's basically the seedy part you want to remove, you don't have to take much from around the sides. You can chop up parts of what you scoop out and add it into the rice mixture. Set your squash aside again.
• Preheat your oven to 375. Have a baking dish ready (lightly oiled, or foil if you prefer).
• When the rice is done, take it off the heat and add in the 1/2 cup of parmesan, the fresh basil and spinach. Mix.
• Time to assemble. Using the 1 tsp of olive oil, lightly brush the outsides of the squash. Next, stuff the rice mixture into the hollow -- you can pack quite a bit in there, and have a bit overflowing on top. Place into the baking dish and finish by sprinkling the 1 tbsp of parmesan over top.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

SPINACH-STUFFED YELLOW SQUASH

Steps:

• Combine squash, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and water to cover in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes or until tender. Cool.
• Cut squash in half lengthwise, and remove seeds. Drizzle cut sides of squash evenly with 2 tablespoons melted butter; sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
• Pour remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in cooked spinach, sour cream, red wine vinegar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon spinach mixture evenly into squash halves. Place squash in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining 6 tablespoons cheese, and dot with cold butter.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

STUFFED SUNBURST PATTYPAN SQUASH

Steps:

• Steam whole squash until tender; drain and cool.
• Scoop out flesh, leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch border around the edges.
• Measure 1 tablespoon of the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of the parmesan (or romano) cheese; set aside.
• Chop the squash flesh in a bowl; mix in the cream cheese, green onion, cream, swiss cheese and the remaining parmesan and bread crumbs.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill squash shells with the above mixture.
• Top with the reserved bread crumbs and parmesan.
• Refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes, or until tops are brown.