I ripped out a bunch of recipes from some magazines to try last week.  I plan on knocking out each one as we begin autumn.  First recipe tried is from the current issue of Martha Stewart Living.  It’s the picture in the upper middle.

When we were in Morocco a few years back, we had a wonderful couscous with chicken garbanzo beans and squash…It was a dish that Casey, my brother Ryan and I still talk about.  Here I took a pic!

After making this recipe tonight, Casey said:

“This reminds me of Morocco. MMMM. This must be made again. MMMM. And I want more meat next time!”

It was very very good.  I would have liked it even more if it wasn’t super hot today!  But yes, it’s one of those recipes that’s perfect for a cozy evening in with a nice glass of red wine.  Yum!

I really liked the golden raisins.  The acorn squash I bought was not really that sweet, so the raisins really stepped it up! The nice spice of the cinnamon and nutmeg warms you up!  I caught Casey scraping the skins of the squash until there was nothing left.  It was that good!  Nice work, honey!

I guess this means that I will be making it again- with more meat filling.

So let’s get started!

I used an ice cream scooper to dig out the seeds.  It works SOO well.

I cut the bottoms off so they would eventually lay flat when I turned them over.

Aren’t they prettie?

Here are some of the crucial ingredients:

Browned the meat…and set it aside.

Added the bulgur to the onions

Out of the oven and onto my plate!  (there were more steps involved)

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash

(Recipe Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Serves 4)

• 2 medium acorn squashes (ab 2lbs), halved & seeded
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 lb. ground chuck (95% lean)
• 2 tsp. course salt
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup bulgur wheat
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
• 2 tblsp. toasted pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place squashes, cut sides down in a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 4 quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add ground beef, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl or plate using a slotted spoon, keeping as much of the cooking liquid in the pot as possible.

3. Add onion, and cook until slightly translucent, about 5 mins.  Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine.  Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Take pot off the stove and let sit covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork, and add reserved beef, the raisins, parsley & pine nuts.

4. Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4 inch thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to the oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned. 12-14 minutes.

Enjoy!