Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Pablanos and Wild Rice

‘You might have gotten in over your head this time, Vanessa’ noted my closest (in proximity – I roll my chair into her a few of times a day) coworker.

I had just explained how I have a few Sweet Dumpling squash gracing my windowsill and I am determined to turn them into something just as beautiful, but substantially more edible, than they are in their raw state. The problem is that an uncooked squash is not only very unappetizing but also very difficult to work with – hard to cut, slice, dice, etc. But a fully baked squash has too much of a Dali-esque melting-clock quality that’s visually unappealing and structurally unsound. Hence my coworker’s trepidation.

My solution is to cook the squash until tender but not totally soft. The final cooking is done on the stovetop, giving the squash pieces a chance to get golden at the edges and to mingle with the other ingredients. So simple, so easy to impress your coworkers with.

I used small Sweet Dumpling squash, about the size of a softball, but I see no reason why you couldn’t use any round squash – a buttercup, kabocha, or a pumpkin (see photos of some common squash varieties here) – to make a very large and lovely centerpiece for your dining table. Just be sure to add enough other veggies and rice to the filling so that you can pile it up to overflow the top, which, besides looking really great, gives that feeling of abundance of harvest that’s just so appropriate right now.

Time: 1 1⁄4 hours
Serves: 2 very hungry people, or 3 people as a really awesome side dish

Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Pablanos and Wild Rice

3 small Sweet Dumpling squash
6 pablano peppers (a mix of green and red is nice)
1 1/4 cup uncooked wild rice/brown rice mix
veggie broth
1 small onion, minced
olive oil or butter
salt and pepper

Bake whole squash until tender-firm to touch, but not totally soft, about 40 - 45 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

Cook the wild rice/brown rice mix with veggie broth instead of water.

Blacken the pablanos either under the broiler or by holding over a direct flame on the stovetop. Get them evenly charred all over and close them up in a plastic bag to steam and cool for about 20 minutes. The skins should easily peel off. Remove the stem and seeds and cut the pablanos into strips.

Once the squash has cooled, slice off the top in one piece and scoop out any seeds and strings. Cut around the sides and top of the squash to remove the flesh, taking care not to scrape too close to the sides of the squash so it remains intact. Dice the flesh.

Add some oil or butter to a skillet and sauté the onion. Add the squash pieces and sauté until tender all the way through, 5 - 10 minutes. Add the pablanos and rice and cook for a few minutes together until the flavors mix a bit together. Adjust salt and pepper.

Add the rice mixture back into the hollowed-out squash, heaping the stuffing out of the opening. Place the “lid” back on the squash at a jaunty angle over the rice if you’re into that sort of thing.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 7:41 pm and is filed under Casseroles & Baked, Summer, Harvest, Autumn. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.