One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon is to walk to the library, settle into a comfortable chair, and read the latest issues of all the magazines that I am too cheap to subscribe to personally. Obviously, I gravitate towards the cooking publications: Bon Appétit, Cook's Illustrated, and Martha Stewart Living. This Martha Stewart Living recipe from last week's browsing session seemed like an intriguing way to use up the last of our CSA produce, an acorn squash that's been loitering on the counter for the past few weeks. I bought a mate for my lonely squash at the farmer's market, which has been getting progressively smaller as fall marches on.
I was a bit hesitant to try a stuffed squash recipe involving grapes, but for me the flavor combination worked: the assertiveness of the sage and wholesome flavor of the wheatberries balanced the sweet richness of the caramelized grapes and squash. On the other hand, Mike was not a fan: he thought that the grapes were too sweet, and he would rather eat acorn squash with a more traditional stuffing. This will probably be a recipe that I'll halve and make for myself when Mike makes one of his meat-based dinners, if I'm feeling more ambitious than usual.
Adapted from the recipe in Martha Stewart Living, November 2013
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 acorn squashes, halved lengthwise and hollowed
- 2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 cups red seedless grapes
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup dry wheatberries (about 2 cups cooked)
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in wheatberries, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until wheatberries are tender.*
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush the cut sides of the acorn squash halves with a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash halves, cut side down, on a foil lined baking sheet.
Combine the grapes, shallot, sage, and prepared wheatberries in an 8 x 8 baking dish. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bake the squash and grape mixture, stirring the grape mixture once, for 35 minutes, or until squash is tender and grapes are caramelized.
Serve the grape mixture in the squash halves.
*Note: wheatberries can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until needed.