Risotto Stuffed Acorn Squash

Risotto-Stuffed Acorn Squash

I found this in a "note" on my Facebook page, from 2010. I'd just gotten back from a Chicago trip with my girlfriends and had eaten this marvelous spectacle of a squash in Wicker Park. Upon my return home, I tried to recreate it but as usual came up with something entirely different.

Yesterday was our work potluck lunch (and, as it turned out, my surprise baby shower!) I made the squash and the rice the night before, and rushed home before lunch to stuff the squash and stick under the broiler with some rosemary and figs. My coworkers loved their autumnal taste, but also the presentation. Who doesn't like pretty food? For me, it's a way to exercise some artistry in my every day life. Do you feel that way? Ever since I started looking at food as an art form with nutrition as its main medium, I have enjoyed cooking more, and this recipe was the catalyst for that way of thinking. 

Here's the original note (from right after the infamous two-days-of-no-sleep and missed-the-bus-home trip, immediately after which I took a pregnancy test that marked the beginning of my Reese Marceline, and I thereby became interested in things like Food Network-style cooking and crafts because I no longer had my youthful, rebellious distractions to keep me from honing my interests in tamer things).

Lindsey.

(If you're not following me on Facebook and are interested in a healthy lifestyle and nutrition/fitness tips, click here and hit "Like." I'd love to meet you!)

by Lindsey Smith Forche on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 8:47pm ·I combined a few recipes that I found on the Internet in an attempt to semi-recreate the fabulous stuffed squash I had at a Mexican restaurant in Chicago. In typical Lindsey fashion, I went down an entirely different road as I was cooking, and the ensuing result was nothing like the Mexican place, and nothing like the Internet recipes, but--ask my mom--it was freakin' delicious. And it smells like fall :) 

Risotto-stuffed Acorn Squash

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, about 1 pound each. 

drizzle of honey

pinch of brown sugar

a few sprinkles of nutmeg

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

a dash of dried sage (can you tell I never measure anything?) 

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups arborio rice

1/4 white onion, diced (I used about a 16th of an onion because I'm not a fan)

4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

about 1/2 cup GOOD aged cheddar (not the kind that comes in a bag!)

I tried to cut the acorn squash in half, because apparently it's possible. But because I don't have superhuman strength, I nuked them in the microwave for eight minutes, and was able to cut them open easily. I scooped out the icky seeds and guts, and hollowed out the insides. Then I placed a pat of butter in each, which immediately melted so I was able to pour some over the tops of the squash. I sprinkled all four squash halves with nutmeg, a tiny drizzle of honey, and a pinch of brown sugar, then stuck them in a 400* oven for about an hour. (They looked done long before they were.) Meanwhile, I prepared the filling. I thought I'd be done long before the squash was, but arborio rice is a pain in the ass--albeit a yummy one. 

First, I warmed up the stock in a separate sauce pan. In a larger pan, I sauteed the onions in about 1 tbsp. butter for about 5 minutes, then added the rice and stirred for two minutes. I added the stock in increments of one cup, each time letting the rice soak up the liquid before adding more. On my last cup of stock, I also added the heavy cream, and salt, pepper, sage, and nutmeg. This took a lifetime to cook, and once it was al dente, I added small cubes of aged-2-years sharp cheddar, and slowly stirred, then covered the pot to let the cheese melt. 

I pulled the squash out of the oven, stuffed them with rice, then put a sprig of fresh rosemary in each and returned them to the oven for five minutes. I realized the rosemary dried out easily and was about to catch my kitchen on fire, so I removed it--but it made my house smell like a pine grove autumn heaven, and did leave a detectable taste in the rice. Finally, I broiled the squash for five more minutes, until the cheese was bubbly and browning on top. 

I took it over to my parents' house when I realized it was brilliant and mind-blowingly delicious. Can you tell I'm proud of myself? I rediscovered the freakin' joy of cooking.