Israeli Cous Cous and Acorn Squash Salad

Just when I thought I was finished with Acorn Squash recipe research, the CSA email came announcing I'd get two in my share. Again, I browsed a few of my favorite recipe banks and found this salad. As I said in a previous post, I love grain based salads with veggies, herbs, dried fruit, nuts, you name it! So When I found this salad, it looked like it would be great.

The ingredient list is a bit lengthy for a simple salad, but many of the ingredients are herbs and spices that you'll likely have on hand. I used basil rather than mint because I have it growing in my garden, but other than that I made no substitutions. (I did forget to add the almonds for the photo, but added them just before we ate this, oops!). The cous cous was a bit sticky, and I didn't want to add a ton of olive oil, so I added a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, and it worked really well, adding just enough extra flavor and moisture without compromising the original recipe's flavors. If you can't find Israeli cous cous, or don't want a white pasta, you can easily sub in wheat berries, barley, quinoa, millet, or regular wheat cous cous.

Israeli Cous Cous with Acorn Squash, Feta and Almonds

slightly adapted from Williams-Sonoma

3/4 c. slivered almonds

1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

Kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 acorn squash (about 2.5 lbs)

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 c. Israeli cous cous

6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled 

1/4 c. basil leaves, torn

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350*

Place almonds on a baking sheet, toast until fragrant and browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine sage, 1 tsp. salt, cinnamon, chili powder and pepper, stir well.

Peel squash, cut into 1/2" cubes. 

Toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil, add to a baking sheet and toss with seasoning mixture.

Roast for an hour, until lightly browned and easily pierced with a knife. 

Bring large pot of water to a boil, add cous cous and cook for 5 minutes, until softened, drain in a mesh colander and rinse with cool water.

Transfer the cous cous to a platter, fluff, add squash, almonds, feta and basil (or mint), drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve warmed to room temperature.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Arugula Salad with Gorgonzola

I try so hard to love all vegetables equally, but acorn squash is probably my least favorite of all the squash out there. So now that we've had it three weeks in a row in the CSA basket, I figured I should find a way to love it. It's not fair to compare it to sweet and versatile butternut, easy to prep delicata, new and exciting kobocha, or pasta-sub spaghetti. It's small, hard to prep, it's earthy, the skin is tough, and it doesn't naturally scream 'use me in this recipe' unless it's stuffed - though it does make for a pretty presentation - but it's hard to eat that way.

So I did some googling and recipe searching. I came across a recipe for Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza, which sounded interesting, and used my CSA arugula! However, when the time came I just didn't get around to making pizza dough, so a salad sounded like the next easiest thing. This salad was perfect, and I absolutely loved the squash. I even found a bonus, acorn squash holds up really well to roasting, it doesn't get too soft or crumble like others can. The finishing touch to this salad, however, was a thick, syrupy pomegranate balsamic vinegar I recently was gifted. It balanced out the bitter and earthy tastes from the other ingredients perfectly!

Roasted Acorn Squash and Arugula Salad with Gorgonzola

2 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1 large bunch of arugula
1/2 c. crumbled gorgonzola
Aged balsamic vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400*
Toss squash in syrup, 1 tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper, then arrange on a baking sheet.
Roast for 20 minutes, toss squash, and roast another 10-20 minutes, until caramelized and tender.
Arrange arugula in a salad bowl, toss with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Remove squash from oven, cool for 5 minutes, then arrange atop arugula, sprinkle with gorgonzola and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Serve immediately or arugula will wilt.

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash

If I was absolutely forced to choose my favorite fall squash, I'd have to go with Butternut. Not only is it sweet and not at all stringy, but it's by far the easiest to peel and cube. I always go for a thick neck, almost the same size as the cup, if possible. Sure the long, skinny, bendy ones look interesting, but they're hard to butcher! The same can be said for acorn squash. It's pretty much impossible to peel, so cubing it and adding it to a dish is pretty much not going to happen. However, acorn squashes are great bowls for stuffing, which is my favorite way to utilize them. 

The acorn squash themselves have a slightly nutty taste, but are still a bit sweet when roasted. Eating the skin is optional, I tend to eat a bit if it makes its way into a forkful. I've seen countless recipes for squash stuffed with quinoa, cous cous and other grains, so I wanted to do something different. I found this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, and decided to make it immediately. Not only was it an interesting acorn squash recipe, but it called for corn, which is one it's way out of season right now, so I feel the need to squeeze in as much as I can. 

The dish was simple, but full of flavor. The spice combination made it interesting and warm. The cheddar made it a bit indulgent, but not heavy. The sweet corn balanced well with the earthy squash, and the scallions made the dish pop. Though corn pudding sounds unhealthy and heavy, this dish contained so little that it was not. I halved the filling recipe, but wrote the full version below, and it fit perfectly in my squash. If you make 2 full (4 halves) you should have enough filling for all 4 halves.

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash

from 101 Cookbooks, adapted from The Vegetarian Compass

1 small acorn squash, halved lengthwise (about 2 lbs.)

1 tbsp. butter

1 c. milk

1 egg plus 2 whites (I used only 2 whites)

1 ear of corn, husked and kernels cut off (about 1 c)

1/4 tsp. anise seed, chopped

1/2 c. chopped scallions

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

1/3 c. grated sharp white cheddar

Preheat the oven to 375*

Rub the flesh of the squash with butter, place cut side up in a roasting pan, slicing a bit off the bottom to stabilize if necessary.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until squash is tender.

In a mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs, corn, anise, half the scallions, nutmeg and salt.

Fill each squash until it's just about full.

Carefully place back in the oven, bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until pudding is cooked through.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and broil or bake for another few minutes (my roasting pan says do not broil, so I just melted the cheese on top while it baked).

Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with additional scallions.

Maple Chili Acorn Squash

I wanted to make a vegetable side to go with my meatloaf. Since squash are still in season, and so delicious, I picked up an acorn squash. I love sweet and spicy, so I combined a few of my favorites to add a sweet punch to the squash.

Maple Chili Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash, halved, seeded

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. pure Maple Syrup

1/4 tsp. Mexican dark chili powder

Place squash cut side up in a baking dish. Fill with 1 cm. of water. Place half the butter in the bottom of each squash cup, drizzle in syrup, then sprinkle with brown sugar and chili powder.

Roast for 60 minutes at 350.