Acorn Squash stuffed with Bulgur and Tomato
This recipe makes enough for two people if you serve each half of the squash with another side dish, like a salad. It's quite filling -- bulgur wheat is high in protein.
- One acorn squash, cut in half, and seeded
- 1 half cup of medium bulgur wheat (before cooking)
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 small handful of parsley, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- Some vegetable oil, for roasting the squash
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp of fresh black pepper
- 1 tsp of kosher salt
- Grated nutmeg
- Cayene pepper, optional, to taste
Begin by cutting the squash into halves, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place them in a roasting tray, cut side up, so you can season them. Give them a bit of oil, so the spices stick. I dose them with paprika, freshly grated nutmeg, cayene pepper, and some kosher salt. Go and get whole nutmeg and grate it right then, if possible. The pre-ground stuff isn't nearly as good. I use a microplane grater to get this done quickly.
Place the squash in a 350F oven and get ready to roast them for 45 minutes to an hour. While that's cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Finely chop the parsely and onion, dice the tomato, and place the wheat in a bowl and add the lemon juice to it. The wheat will soak up the juice. Stir in the tomato and parsely, and let it sit for a half hour to absorb juices.
When the squash is almost finished (a fork goes in with a bit of resistance), take it out of the oven and fill each half with some of the bulgur mixture. Put it back in the oven and let it cook until the squash is soft. Remove, and enjoy. Add black pepper at this point, if you like. I never add pepper early on when roasting, because pepper burns easily.
