Sunday, September 19, 2010

Allrecipies.com Stuffed Squash

This'll be a bit of a quickie; there's not a huge backstory here, other than to say thanks to my soon-to-be-inlaws for giving me the delicious squash that resulted in the following dinner.


I really like squash; oven-roasted butternut squash with just a touch of brown sugar and butter is a Thanksgiving staple in my family.  Mmm.  Maybe at some point I'll make my squash and potato soup, which is another fantastic way to showcase that particular gourd.  On this day, though, I had a lovely-looking acorn squash that had flown back to Winnipeg with me in my checked luggage (sometimes I wonder what airport security thinks of me...)  I wanted something warm and hearty, as the weather's taken a turn towards brisk.  So, I did what I always do in a situation like this: I Googled.

My laptop, a.k.a. my most valuable cookbook, and dinner.
I was looking for a stuffed squash similar to the stuffed peppers that Ni, Michelle and I enjoyed while wintering in a cottage in Barrie.  Spicy Italian sausage would have to make an appearance.  Luckily, Google sent me straight to Allrecipes.com, a very handy site with lots of great recipes, reviews, and feedback to help you find what you're looking for.  This particular recipe seemed right on the money.


I did make a few changes (surprise, surprise).  Firstly, I halved the recipe; I only had one squash to work with.  Secondly, I nixed the celery.  I really, really dislike celery.  Hubs loves it, slathered with Cheez Whiz, PB, or just plain; I hate the flavour, I hate the texture, and I mostly hate those stupid stringy things that get stuck in your teeth.  I don't care that it's negative calories; I'd rather achieve that with ice water (which I did, as you can see!)  So, I substituted peeled and finely diced carrots.  I figured that the anise in the hot italian sausage (which I swapped in for the sweet) would give enough of that celeriac flavour.   I also left out the raisins and pecans... I just wasn't feeling it (plus I don't regularly keep pecans hanging around.)  I finished the whole deal off, before baking, with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.  Delicious!!

 
So, now I hope you do at least one of three things: a) try out this roasted stuffed squash, b) try out Allrecipies.com for whatever it is you might be looking for, and/or c) start with one ingredient and a vague idea of what sort of flavours/experience you want, and Google your way to a delicious dinner.

Wondering what to do with the mutant crossbreed "spumpkin" from her coworker Terri's garden,
-Honeybee

No comments:

Post a Comment