Recipe for Stuffed Gem Squash
A New Way with this Seasonal Vegetable
Dark green on the outside, revealing when cut yellow-orange soft flesh within, the gem squash was originally native to North America and Mexico. However it is now grown all over the world. It is an unusual vegetable for some, and crops up in weekly vegetable boxes to puzzled looks, tending to get left in the vegetable rack until someone figures out what to do with it.
This recipe combines sweet, buttery soft squash with the powerful flavours of meat, garlic and tomatoes. The whole thing is then sprinkled with crunchy breadcrumbs and cheese and baked in the oven until crisp and hot. It is one of those dishes that looks impressive even though it took only minutes to prepare. Children love the way the squash acts as a little cup offering up their dinner too!
How to Make Stuffed Gem Squash
Ingredients
(serves 2)
- 2 gem squash, halved around the middle and the seeds scooped out from each half
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small courgette, sliced in half lengthways and finely chopped
- 200g beef mince
- 2-3 tablespoons of your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce
- 1-2 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 handful of grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to season
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C. Once the squash is halved and the seeds scooped out, making a little hole in the centre of each half, boil the squash halves in a pan of water for around 10-15 minutes, or until the flesh is tender.
- While the squash halves are cooking, fry the garlic and onions in a little olive oil until soft. Add the mince and the courgette and cook, stirring, until the meat is cooked through and the courgettes are soft. Spoon in the pasta sauce, just enough to bind the mixture together, but not enough to make a wet sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- When cooked, lift out the squash carefully with a slotted spoon and place the squash halves on a baking tray, cut side up. They may lean over slightly; this does not matter, but if you really want them to stand up straight, chisel the underside slightly with a sharp knife to create a flat bottom.
- Pile the meat mixture all over the cut side and into the hole left by the scooped-out seeds, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and cheese, and place in the oven for around 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tops have browned.
Variations and Notes on the Recipe
This recipe is extremely versatile because almost any vegetable can be used to stuff the squash. Use anything that is to hand – carrots, peppers, finely chopped cabbage or sweet corn – just remember to bind the mixture with a handy sauce so that it does not become too dry in the oven. Replace the meat with other vegetables or even cooked rice mixed in too for a vegetarian meal. Experiment too with different cheeses. Try blue cheese or parmesan, the latter turning very crisp on melting. The thickness of skin of these squashes varies greatly depending on when it is picked. Those picked towards the end of summer have tougher skins than the younger vegetables picked earlier, but generally the skin is not eaten.
This recipe is quick to make, only taking around 20 minutes to prepare and gets one (or maybe two, depending on how many vegetables used) of your “Five a Day” taken care of. The little dark cups filled with soft, sweet squash and tasty filling are interesting for children also. Armed with this this recipe you need worry no more when you find a gem squash lurking in your vegetable box.
Gem Squash Can be Easy to Cook
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Food & Drink
Latest Articles