Seasonal local food recipe No.332 – Roasted and stuffed Golden Nugget or acorn squash
The compact Golden Nugget and green acorn squashes in our veg boxes this week are delicious cut in half, seasoned and roasted. You can enjoy them just as they are as a simple accompaniment to grilled chicken or sausages. The roasted halves are transformed into a more substantial main dish if you fill them with stuffing and roast for a further 15 minutes.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes – 1 hour
Ingredients
2 Golden Nugget or acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise
50g butter
salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or cinnamon
Method
Scrub the squashes clean, then cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and soft fibres and score the flesh with a sharp knife to ensure the heat gets to the inside. Dot the cavity with butter and season with salt, black pepper and the cinnamon or nutmeg.
Place the squash halves cut sides upwards in an ovenproof dish. Bake in an oven preheated to 200C/Gas 6 for 45 minutes until the flesh feels tender when pierced with a knife.
For the stuffing:
There are lots of easy ways to stuff squash once you’ve roasted them, depending on what ingredients you’ve got to hand. If you intend to stuff them, omit the nutmeg or cinnamon at the initial roasting stage.
Nigel Slater suggests a spicy caramelised onion filling.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recommends a blue cheese and walnuts or Gruyere cheese and crispy bacon filling.
