recipe - sweet spiced rice-stuffed butternut squash

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

 

 

 

Last Monday I experimented with a new recipe for the main course of a dinner

party I was preparing. It turned out to be quite delicious. The quantities

and instructions may sound a bit imprecise but that’s what happens when you

only write something down after the event. I started off thinking that I

would like to make something with a vaguely Moroccan taste and from there it

was just a matter of ‘see what happens’. I know it sounds crazy but,

despite being the owner of well over 1,000 recipe books, I hardly ever

actually cook using a recipe. This one was pure invention from start to

finish but everyone loved the results so I thought I would share the recipe

with you.

 

 

 

Cheers from Marie

 

 

 

 

 

SWEET SPICED RICE-STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

 

 

 

The recipe can be adapted to feed as many people as you like but these

quantities were sufficient to feed 6 generously, using half of a medium

sized butternut squash per person. The proportions of ingredients and

spices aren’t really too important. It’s simply a matter of tweaking things

until the mixture tastes good to you. Please feel free to ask me if you

have any questions about the recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

1 small-medium butternut squash (or any other variety you may prefer) for

each two people. Cut the squash in half from top to bottom, remove the

seeds, rub squash halves with a little olive oil and bake in a medium oven

until the flesh is soft enough to scoop out with a spoon (but not so soft

that the skin is ‘soggy’ and ready to collapse). You need the shell to

remain firm enough to hold the dish together when it is being re-heated and

served. Allow squash halves to cool then remove some of the flesh to more

or less double the size of the hollow where the seeds were.

 

 

 

Cook approximately 2 cups (dry measure) of rice (I used brown rice) until

soft but not overcooked. I didn’t use any salt in the cooking water as I am

not supposed to have too much salt and also I knew I would be adding chopped

feta cheese to the dish at a later stage. Drain rice.

 

 

 

Chop approximately ½ lb (250 gram) dried apricots and mix with between ½ - 1

lb (250 – 500 gram) dried sultanas. Just cover with boiling water and allow

the fruit to swell and absorb the water. When the fruit has absorbed (most

of) the water add orange juice (I used 3 oranges), about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

powder, about ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, about ½ teaspoon mixed spice (not

allspice as the mixed spice includes allspice but has other flavours as

well) and 2-3 teaspoons of honey (I used only 2 teaspoons of honey as the

oranges were quite sweet).

 

 

 

Pour the spice/juice mixture into the rice and stir well. Allow the rice to

stand to absorb the flavours of the spices and orange juice and to become

very tender. If the rice appears a bit dry (as mine was) add a little water

(about ½ a cup for a start, you can always add more later if necessary),

return to a very gentle heat and heat through to allow rice to absorb the

liquid. Repeat this step if necessary. You need to make sure that the rice

isn’t too dry at this stage as it will later be returned to the oven for

reheating.

 

 

 

Chop about ¾ lb (350 gram) feta cheese (I used sheep feta). Finely chop ½ -

1 bunch fresh parsley. Add the feta, the parsley and approximately 4 oz

(100 gram) flaked almonds to the rice mixture. (I would have preferred to

use coriander [cilantro] instead of parsley but I know that some people do

not enjoy the taste of this herb. Had I been making this dish for Hans [my

husband] and me I would have used coriander/cilantro instead of the

parsley). Pile rice mixture into the squash halves and place them in a

baking tray which is just big enough to hold them. Using the right sized

tray helps the squash halves to retain their shape. Cover entire tray and

contents with foil and reheat in a slow oven (approx 300 F/150 C) until

warmed through.

 

 

 

Serve sprinkled with a little extra fresh parsley and a tiny amount of

grated cheese (I used goat cheese) if liked.

 

 

 

I served the squash with a side dish of mixed (almost dry) fried potato

slices and mushroom slices (I used about ¾ tablespoon oil in total for

enough vegetables for 6 people). I sprinkled the cooked vegetables with

smoked paprika powder.

 

 

 

We also had two salads. One was lentils, mint, cucumber, tomato, red onion

with a dressing of lemon juice and a fairly mild but distinctively spicy oil

know here as wok oil. The other salad was mixed greens, sliced fresh pears,

walnuts, crumbled blue cheese served with a balsamic vinaigrette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Marie, this sounds wonderful - really inventive and

delicious! I have a question over amounts:

 

You say use one squash, halved, for every two

people. Understood. But with the mixture/rice

stuffing, you don't say how many you were cooking

for when you made those measurements. Could you

give us a clue on that, please. How many squash

halves did that fill (understanding that you might

have nad some left over, of course, and that the

sizes of our squash might differ from yours so

we would have to adjust).

 

I could just work it out, of course, but there are

only two of us in this household and . . .

 

Love, Pat

 

----

Dr Patricia Sant

Bean Vegan: http://beanvegan.blogspot.com

Vegan World Cuisine: http://www.care2.com/c2cvegworld

" The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can

they suffer?' " (Jeremy Bentham, 1749-1832)

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hi Pat and everyone,

 

 

 

The quantities I used produced sufficient filling for three medium sized

butternut squash (6 servings). I removed sufficient flesh from each squash

half to double the size of the hole where the seeds had been. Each squash

half had enough filling to make a heaped and rounded shape.

 

 

 

Cheers from Marie

 

 

 

_____

 

 

On Behalf Of Patricia Sant

Monday, March 26, 2007 4:10 AM

 

Re: recipe - sweet spiced rice-stuffed butternut

squash

 

 

 

Marie, this sounds wonderful - really inventive and

delicious! I have a question over amounts:

 

You say use one squash, halved, for every two

people. Understood. But with the mixture/rice

stuffing, you don't say how many you were cooking

for when you made those measurements. Could you

give us a clue on that, please. How many squash

halves did that fill (understanding that you might

have nad some left over, of course, and that the

sizes of our squash might differ from yours so

we would have to adjust).

 

I could just work it out, of course, but there are

only two of us in this household and . . .

 

Love, Pat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> The quantities I used produced sufficient filling for three medium sized

> butternut squash (6 servings). I removed sufficient flesh from each squash

> half to double the size of the hole where the seeds had been. Each squash

> half had enough filling to make a heaped and rounded shape.

 

Thanks, Marie! I shall be putting it in the Files a little later this week!

 

Love, Pat