Welcome to the newest installment of Serving Suggestions.  This week we have a suggestion for Bob on how to use the delicata squash we received this week:

When I first saw the delicata squash this week, I was a bit intimidated.  I had never cooked them before and honestly thought they might just be ornamental because of the colorful striping.  After a little googling I realized that they are the perfect vessel for a flavorful stuffing and that they can be eaten whole, skin and all.  The recipe I started with came from NY Times Cooking and was called Whole-Roasted Stuffed Delicata Squash.  I made some modifications based on what I had on hand (i.e. I subbed arugula for the kale) and it came out great.  Here’s what I did… I sliced the squash in half length-wise and scraped out the seeds.  I sprayed them with cooking spray and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.  While I worked on the stuffing, I gave them a fifteen minute head start in a 400 degree oven.  For the stuffing, I started by toasting walnuts in a dry skillet and removing them to a large bowl.  Next, I sauteed chopped onion and garlic until soft and added arugula until it wilted and cooked down.  I dumped the veggies into the bowl.  Then I added stuffing cubes from the pantry (you could make your own from stale or toasted bread) to the pan with a few tablespoons of butter, tossing constantly to coat and lightly brown.  I added the cubes, dried cranberries and dried herbs to the bowl and mixed to combine.  To help bring the mixture together, I added a few tablespoons of chicken broth (I skipped the maple syrup the recipe calls for so needed some moisture).  Once it cooled a bit, I stirred in blue cheese crumbles.  Finally, I added the stuffing to the parcooked squash, mounding it high and pushing it into the squash.  I cooked it for about twenty minutes before covering with foil to prevent the stuffing from burning and then added about ten minutes more until the squash was fork-tender.  The squash was flavorful, the stuffing crunchy and it made for a great introduction to a new vegetable!  I couldn’t help but snapping a picture:

That’s all for this week, check back again soon for more Serving Suggestions!

Serving Suggestions is a recurring article that will be posted weekly during the CSA season featuring photos, tips and recipes. Content is provided by Jessica, Shana and Bob. If you would like to submit your own photos or recipes, please email Bob at robertfcowper@gmail.com. To read through previous Serving Suggestions articles, click here for an archive. You can also use the handy search feature at the top of the right hand menu bar to search for the name of a particular ingredient you need help using.