Spicy and Sweet Acorn Squash

Enjoying life one bite at a time

Spicy and Sweet Acorn Squash

6 October 2009 2 Comments

Those who know me well, are aware that I am notoriously bad at making decisions. I will often look up a restaurant’s menu before we even leave to go there, so that I will have more time to decide on what I want, and not be pressured to make a quick decision. I get it in my head that if I go with the Chicken Parmesan over the Shrimp Pasta, that my life will somehow never be complete. My usual resolution to this dilemma of monstrous proportions… I trade bites with everyone else at the table. That way I get to sample several things to know what I did or didn’t miss.

While looking at this acorn squash, I went through a similar quandary. Do I make something savory? What about a sweet dessert? Maybe I could make it a little spicy? Who says the whole squash has to be cooked in the same way?

I cut one portion of the squash smaller than the other (maybe something close to a 70% / 30% split), and decided to try it two different ways. In my Orzo Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe, I steamed the halves, but this time I decided to bake them. This made the flesh a little more dry, but gave it a nice caramel-like aroma (I suppose that’s from the natural sugars in the squash). The larger side was filled with a chorizo and rice stuffing, while the other took the more traditional brown sugar approach, providing both a spicy, savory entree and a dessert at the same time.

Chorizo and Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash
with Brown Sugar Acorn Squash

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INGREDIENTS
Note: I provided ranges for the ingredients, because amounts will vary depending on the size of squash used. If they are on the smaller side, go with the first amount, but larger squash will need the second.

2 small acorn squash
3/4 – 1 cup cooked rice (white or long-grain)
3-4 oz. Mexican chorizo
1/4 – 1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 – 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2-3 tsp. thyme
2-3 tsp. ground rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce (optional)
1 1/2 – 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. maple syrup
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

METHOD
1. Cut the acorn squash into two sections each, roughly in a 70% / 30% split and scoop out the membrane and seeds. Place the sections cut-side down in a baking dish and bake at 400° for about 45 min. to 1 hour. Again, cooking time will vary based on the size of the squash, and the smaller pieces can be taken out a little before the larger ones.

2. While the squash are baking, cut small chunks of the chorizo, and fry in a skillet over medium heat. Do not add any butter or oil, as the sausage will give off it’s own liquid. Try not to move it around much, because it will break apart easily, which will make it more difficult to remove from the pan. Also, prepare the rice as directed by the packaging.

3. After the chorizo has browned, transfer the chunks to a bowl and mix with the cooked rice. In the skillet with the chorizo grease, add the mushrooms and frozen peas. Stir occasionally, and cook until the mushrooms and peas are tender.

4. Return the rice and chorizo to the skillet, adding the thyme and rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir fry the mixture over low heat until the squash has finished cooking.
Note: This is the point where you can kick it up a notch if you want, by adding a little hot sauce!

5. When the small portions of the acorn squash are removed from the oven, set them aside until they are cool enough to handle. Using a soup spoon, lightly scoop about 1/2 of the flesh from the walls of each squash, but do not remove it from the squash “bowl”. Basically, you are doing the same thing as a twice baked potato. This part is completely optional. You could also just place the ingredient inside the squash and be finished, but I liked the idea of mixing part of the flesh with the sweet ingredients so that it would incorporate more evenly.

6. Mix the brown sugar, syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg with the scooped squash to create a creamy, light brown mixture inside each “bowl”. Fill the larger portions of the squash with the chorizo and rice mixture.