Friday, June 20, 2008

Stuffed Pattypan Squash


We got some beautiful pattypan squash from the CSA this week, and I just couldn't decide what to do with them. They seemed too unique to just slice up and saute, and I wanted to do something that would more or less keep them whole. Finally, I was inspired by some leftover grains and a big bunch of kale, and I stuffed them. We also got loads of kale this week, and I needed some new ways to use it up. This recipe took care of that! It turned out really nice, and even the girls ate some of it (which is always a good thing if there is kale involved!).

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

4 pattypan squash

1 lb kale

2 Tbs Olive Oil

3 large spring onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup roasted red pepper, diced

1/2 large tomato, diced

1 cup cooked grains (I used a mixture of brown rice and bulgur)

1/2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup bread crumbs

4 Tbs. Earth Balance

Start a large pot of water boiling. Once water has started to boil place whole squash in to boil until a sharp knife is easily inserted through the skin, about 10 minutes. Remove squash from water and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 400. Once squash have cooled, cut a small piece off of the bottom of each squash so that it will set evenly. Cut away tops, scrape out seeds and scoop out the flesh. Add scooped out flesh to the bowl of a food processor, along with kale. Process until kale is completely chopped. In a large saute pan, heat 2 Tbs olive oil. Saute onions and garlic until onions become translucent. Add kale mixture to saute pan, along with roasted red pepper, tomato, Worcestershire, Braggs, and nutmeg. Stir to combine then add grains. Heat through and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture, heaping, into hollowed out squash. Sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs and add 1 Tbs Earth Balance to the top of each. Bake for about 30 minutes, until breadcrumbs are golden brown.


5 comments:

  1. Those look delicious! We bought one from our farm stand, my son picked it out because it looked like a pokemon. However, when I went to cook it, as I had the knife hovering over it, my son got all sad and teary! So alas, our pokemon squash is still sitting on the counter.

    I guess that shows that my son is a natural vegetarian. He won't even eat a vegetable that he thinks is an animal!

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  2. We've had a lot of local pattypan/sunburst squash too, and it is so good! This is the first summer we've tried it, and it is like a zucchini with a slight winter squash buttery flavor.
    Your recipe looks like a nice way to use the squash - we've just been steaming them. Thanks for the recipe!

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  3. Sounds like my daughter is the same as yours when it comes to kale. She won't eat it if she can see it whole, so when I buy it, I remove the stems and chop it pretty small, boil it, let it cool, then freeze it. That way, I always have it available to add to pasta sauce, faux quesadillas, etc. It's been a pretty easy way for me to sneak it in, so I thought I would pass along the idea.

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  4. Dang, y'all! We aren't even close to getting pattypans up here yet! I'll definitely be trying them stuffed when I get some.

    My favorite thing to do with kale is put handfuls of it into a smoothie. YUM!

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  5. meredyth - thanks for the idea, I've never thought to freeze it, but I am for sure going to do that. We just received another gargantuan batch of kale from the CSA, and I was at a loss for what to do with it.

    DM - kale smoothies don't cut it here. I've tried to sneak it in several times, and my kids always figure it out and refuse to drink them.

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