Stuffed Acorn Squash
You can prepare this dish mostly in advance—which lets you focus on getting ready for your date rather than fussing around in the kitchen. I’d suggest you serve it with a green salad with balsamic or some other light vinaigrette.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Up to 4 hours before mealtime, cut a small slice off one side of each squash so they’ll sit flat. Cut off about one-fourth of the opposite side of the squash (to give you access to the hollow in the middle) and discard. Scrape out the seeds and strings with a spoon.
Step 2
Peel the onion and cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces. Cut the ends off the mushroom stems, discard, and cut the mushrooms into 1/4- to 3/8-inch pieces. Combine the onion, mushrooms, ricotta cheese, Swiss cheese, egg, and nutmeg, and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Place the squash in a baking dish, spoon half of the cheese mixture into each squash, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Step 4
About 1 1/2 hours before mealtime, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the squash for 1 hour, or until a fork slides easily into the squash.
Step 5
Place each squash in a shallow bowl and serve immediately.
cooking 101
Step 6
You have to do this at least once, so you can nonchalantly say, “I like to make my own ricotta.” Heat 1/2 gallon of whole milk to 200°F, stirring frequently to keep it from scorching. When it reaches 200°F, stir in 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. It will instantly curdle (if it doesn’t, keep heating). Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Line a colander with a couple layers of cheesecloth and slowly pour in the milk mixture. Allow it to drain until the cheesecloth is cool enough to handle. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth together and tie into a bag. Suspend the bag over the sink and allow to drain for 1 hour, then use or refrigerate.
