Butternut Squash Stuffed with Spinach and Feta Cheese

I bought a Butternut Squash a few weeks ago and tried it for the first time. It was delicious! I caramelized it with butter and brown sugar and popped it in the oven for about 45 minutes. I had never really had the opportunity or desire to try the vegetable (well technically it is actually a fruit), but once I did I was pleasantly surprised. I learned that the squash can last a few weeks in your home after you buy it, and that it is best when the outside skin is a little bit darker. When you cut the squash open it's flesh should be deep orange. I decided to try another recipe, apparently popular in South Africa. The original recipe called for this to be grilled over hot coals wrapped in foil, it also called for the squash to be cut in half, and then only the hollow part would get stuffed. I kind of turned this around a little bit so that each section of the squash would have filling in it. This dish is perfect as a main dish for a vegetarian meal, or as a side dish with meat.

Here is my version of Butternut Squash Stuffed with Spinach and Feta Cheese.

Ingredients

(all approximations, feel free to adjust anything, either more or less, or even omit to your taste)

1 Butternut Squash

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 medium onion

4 cloves of garlic (I LOVE garlic and add much more to anything I make then most people like. Obviously feel free to adjust the garlic level to your liking.)

1/4 cup of crumbled Greek feta cheese

1/2 palm full dried rosemary

1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes

sprinkling of brown sugar

butter or butter flavoured cooking spray

pepper

salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Cut the squash in half width-wise, roughly midway between the bulb-y side at the bottom, and leaving the same amount of space on the long side at the top. Peel the squash using whatever method you find easiest. It has quite a thick peel so it takes some elbow grease (not an ingredient). I used a regular vegetable peeler, but had to go over the whole thing about three times. It is much easier to peel when the squash is cut in half. When you peel it the first time the flesh will be much lighter in colour then the middle of the squash. Keep peeling until you reach a darker orange colour. You want to make sure you get to that part so that the outside part won't be hard and chewy after it cooks.

Once the squash is peeled, cut both pieces in half, this time length-wise exposing the the hollow seed area in the bottom half, and a smooth surface on the top half. Scoop the seeds out of the lower half. In my first squash experience there were barely any seeds, however, when I made this dish, there were a deceivingly large amount of seeds in that little hollow area. Scrape the spoon in the hollow to get rid of the 'guts'. This is again a little tough since the squash is rather hard, but it should only take a couple of minutes. On the top half, cut a well out in both halves. Use a knife, a spoon won't be sharp enough. I left about 2cm distance on all sides, and ensure that you don't go so deep that you pierce the other side. The well will not be perfect by any means and it might take you a couple of tries to get out all the 'meat' but it doesn't matter since it will all get covered with the stuffing. Dice the squash that you dug out of the well into small pieces and set aside.

Place all four quarters in a lightly buttered (or sprayed) baking dish. The butter flavour goes nicely with the sweetness of the squash, plus it won't stick.

Dice or mince (chop as small as you can, but it doesn't have to be perfect) the onion and the garlic. While you are doing this heat your frying pan to about medium high (or high enough to cook your onions through but not too high so the garlic doesn't burn). dd some butter to the frying pan, and add the dried chili flakes. They will infuse the butter with their flavour, and you don't just get chunks of chili flake in the finished product. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the onions and saute until they start to turn translucent. Add the diced pieces of squash and the garlic, and continue to saute. Adjust the heat if it seems too high, you don't want the butter or garlic to burn. Once the onions and garlic are cooked through, add the thawed and drained chopped spinach and dried rosemary, and the crumbled feta cheese. Mix until combined and heated through.

Take the frying pan off the heat and set it up next to your baking dish. Add salt and pepper to taste in the stuffing and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper in the hollowed-out area of each piece of squash as well. Spoon the stuffing into each well, insuring that there is enough to fill each to the top. Any leftover stuffing can be piled higher onto the pieces. Sprinkle each piece with brown sugar so they will caramelize.

Bake the squash for about an hour, depending on your oven, at 375F. To check to see if your squash is done, poke at the flesh with a sharp knife, if it goes through easily, the squash should be done. This serves four as a main course, but you can cut each piece in half for a side dish, depending on the size of your squash.

Bon appétit!