Acorn Squash with Indian Spices

     What to do with half of an acorn squash? Many choices, but what flavors an I hungry for? Texture is very important - nothing mushy. Let's see, I have some onion naan in the freezer, so I think Indian will be the country of choice. My source of recipes this time? 1000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra. My recipe is a combination of several of the authors.

                                         Acorn Squash with Indian Spices

serves 4

1/2 medium onion finely minced
1 quarter sized piece ginger very finely mincd
2T oil
1 small green bell pepper
1 or 2 hot chili pepper, seeded and veins removed for less heat, if you wish
1tsp ground fenugreek
1T ground coriander
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2tsp kalonji seeds
1/4tsp tumeric
1tsp salt, or to taste
1 acorn squash, halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1" cubes.
1/4c yogurt, whisked smooth

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking pan and preheat 5 minutes. Spray a bit of cooking spray on all sides of the cubed squash and add to hot pan. Return to oven and roast until caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Stir and turn every 5 minutes. Don't let squash get mushy. Baking time may need to be adjusted so squash caramelizes rather than steams and gets too tender. You want it fork tender only.


About 10 minutes before squash is finished, cook onion, ginger and peppers in a bit of oil in a skillet about 5 minutes.

Add ground spices and mix well. Cook about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir in squash.

Add yogurt and cook over medium heat until squash is done to your preference.
*I added about 1/4c diced, cooked pork as an afterthought. Very good.

Serve with and Indian bread (or use pita bread that has been warmed and buttered with a spice butter made with a little garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger and a hint of garam masala) and

                                                   Cilantro-Lime Chutney

makes 1/4c
1/8tsp toasted cumin seed, ground
1/4tsp Chat Masala - Found at Asian stores (--this is great with coriander on sweet potato fries)
1 hot pepper, chopped
1 quarter size piece ginger
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2T finely chopped onion
1clove garlic, minced
2/3c chopped cilantro, packed
2T dried mint leaves
1T fresh lime juice
1/4tsp sugar
1/4tsp salt

Process all in a food processor until smooth. Or chop very finely, which is what I do - adds a bit of texture.

A Madhur jaffrey and Yumana Devi re-arrangement

     My vegetarian son was home for supper tonight. In looking for a recipe, I had to rely on what I had in the house. There was an acorn squash, delicata squash, chayote, rice, beans, tempeh and TVP. Perfect for constructing a vegetarian meal. And I usually turn to my  Indian cookbooks for inspiration. Tonight was no exception. Following are my interpretations of recipes from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian and Yumana Devi's The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking.

                                                              
                                          Squash in an Indian Style
1 delicata squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite size chunks
1/8tsp cumin seeds
1/4tsp corriander seeds
1/4tsp nigella (kalonji) seeds - I had none, so I made a very poor substitution of 1/2tsp onion powder
1/8tsp fenugreek seeds
red chili flakes or whole peppers to taste
1.8c canola oil

Heat oil in skillet on medium-high and add seasonings above (except onion powder if using). stir for 30 seconds. Add squash and stir, cooking for 1 minutes. (Add onion powder and stir). Turn heat to low, cover pan and cook with occasional stirring, for about 35 minutes or until tender.

Stir in: 1/2tsp salt or to taste
           2tsp brown sugar
           1/4tsp Garam  Masalla
           1/4tsp ground amchoor or lemon juice (find amchoor powder in an ethnic grocery store)

Squash may be mashed lightly or left in cubes, which is our preference.
Serves 3


                                                         Dal and Rice

1/2c brown rice - any whole grain could be used, though - rinsed and drained
1/2c lentils or dal of your choice, rinsed and drained

Cook separately until tender.  To the rice, add and stir in before cooking:
                   1 chicken boullion cube
                   1/8tsp cinnamon
                   1/8tsp ginger powder
                   1/8tsp asafetida powder ( a poor substitution is lemon juice)
                   1/8tsp corriander powder
                                             To the dal, add and stir in before cooking:
                    1 chicken boullion cube
                    1/2tsp garlic powder
                    1 tsp onion powder

While the rice and dal are cooking, make a sauce to go over them.
                     1 12oz can chopped tomatoes or 6 medium fresh tomatoes, peeled       
                     1tsp salt
                     1/2tsp garlic powder
                     1 tsp onion powder
                     1/2tsp garam masalla
                      1tsp brown sugar
Cook until slightly thickened.

We also like a topping of carmalized onions. Take 1 onion sliced into thin  rings and cook slowly in 3T butter or ghee. Cook until quite soft. Then raise heat slightly and brown lightly.


To serve this meal. combine rice and dal in a bowl. mix well. Serve sauce and onion topping on side. Squash is served as a side dish.

I have served with a bread - mini pitas are my choice. Butter with a seasoned butter of 2T butter, melted, and 1/2tsp garlic powder  3/4tsp onion powder  1/4tsp garam masalla. Heat through in a non-stick pan, turning once. Serve warm.