Stuffed Acorn Squash

Guinea Pig Dinners has been resurrected! My contribution was stuffed acorn squash from Cate's World Kitchen. It had a nice sweet taste, and folks seemed to enjoy it. I made a few modifications to the recipe.

Recipe:
(Originally from Martha Stewart, October 2009)

3 small to medium acorn squashes halved and seeded (I used one large)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I added more)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp. course salt, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup bulgur wheat (I used plain couscous)
2 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I omitted)
3 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
1 1/4 cups cooked or canned garbanzo beans
butter and brown sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the squash halves cut-sides down in a greased 9×13 inch casserole dish or roasting pan. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. I added an additional step here-- after baking, I turned the squash cut-side-up and added butter and brown sugar. I broiled the squash for an additional five minutes.

While the squash is in the oven, heat the oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the onions, cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft and fragrant (5 to 7 minutes) adding 2-3 tbsp of water after the first two or three minutes to keep the onions from drying out or burning.

Add garlic, and cook for an additional minute.

Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine. (If using couscous, cook the couscous separately according to package directions, and disregard the rest of this paragraph!) Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit covered for 5 minutes.

Fluff the bulgar (or couscous) with a fork, and add the raisins, parsley, pine nuts and garbanzo beans. (Add the onion/garlic mixture here if you didn't cook them together.) Stir together to combine and adjust seasonings if necessary

When the squash is soft, take it out of the oven. Let it cool a little and scrape out enough of the flesh to form 1/4 inch thick bowls.

Mix the squash flesh into the bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return them to the oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned, about 12 to 14 minutes. (I didn't stuff the squash-- I mixed all ingredients in a casserole dish and put in the oven until warm.)

Serves 6-8.