Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple Braised Greens

I had seen this recipe a few years ago and now, after having finally made it, I wonder, "why didn't I make this sooner?" What a Katie meal! It covers most all of the components of a typical meal that I produce or enjoy:

- Vegetarian or Seafood (check - vegetarian for the most part, no meat at least...)
- Strong vegetable presence (check)
- Middle Eastern spices or Asian flavors (check)
- Touch of sweetness (check)
- Not overly difficult (check)

Growing up I had enjoyed acorn squash frequently throughout the winter as a side dish, simply roasted with a pat of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Essentially, it was a healthy dessert. The squash is naturally sweet and comforting and when you add the butter and sugar and cinnamon...well, you've got dessert! Not a surprise that this was served for dinner considering my family ate "Fruit Pizzas" for dinner...and then had dessert. To this day, I give my parents a hard time for that. Sugar cookie dough, cream cheese frosting, and sliced fresh fruit hardly constitutes and acceptable side dish. However, we are the Sugermeyers and have sugar built into our genes, it's our natural fuel.

This recipe was my chance to do something a little bit more savory with my beloved acorn squash. And given the size and shape, it is the perfect little vessel for stuffing.

Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash
recipe adapted for 2 people

1 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrots, chopped
1 cup garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup raisins
2.5 tsp tablespoons ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want pure vegetarian)
1/2 cup uncooked couscous (whole-wheat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes depending on the size, until tender. Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture once it is out of the oven.

While the squash is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.

Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve.

So this dish actually ended up being four servings. It was so strange for me to stop literally mid-way through my squash and say "I'm full!" but I was - so I stopped (this is opposed to my normal plate-clearing habits). So bonus, there were leftovers. The squash itself is a really filling food, then add whole wheat couscous and chickpeas and you've got a pretty hearty meal! It's fabulous...that's all I need to say about it. Nothing fancy, just good, simple home cooking.

The accompaniment to the squash (though I realize now it definitely did not need one as it was soooo filling!!) was apple "cider" braised greens. "Cider" is in quotations because I used standard apple juice picked up on my home from the gym from the gas station on my block. Ideally, I would have used apple cider.

Apple Braised Greens

2 pieces of bacon
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 bunch of leafy greens (I used rapini), cleaned an torn into manageable pieces
1 cup apple cider
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced (I recommend Granny Smith)
salt and pepper

In a large pan, cook the bacon over medium low heat until the fat has rendered and the meat is crispy. Remove the bacon but keep the grease in the pan. Add garlic and shallot and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until golden, stirring constantly. Add the greens, cider, and. vinegar, stirring to wilt greens.

Reduce heat to medium. Cover sauce pot and cook greens 10-15 minutes (depending on the kind of greens you use). Stir in apples; cook, partially covered, 10 minutes longer or until stems are very tender and most of liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.

With slotted spoon, transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved bacon, crumbled.

So the greens don't look beautiful - perhaps they cooked a little bit too long and I could have diced the apple finer. Regardless of looks, however, the dish was really tasty. Even with standard apple juice as the liquid - I can only imagine how cider would kick it up a notch!

LEFTOVERS? Remove the filling from the squash, set aside. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and cut into bite sized pieces. Mix it all together. Done! I had it for lunch today...and two days ago...and it was heavenly.