Triple Layer Stuffed Squash

I always feel extra pressure at Thanksgiving to produce something extra special.  Some vegan entree that is the star of the show.  And this squash is it!  It is pretty enough and tasty enough for even the meat eaters to give it a whirl, and it totally enjoys being in the spotlight. I, on the other hand, do not particularly enjoy being center stage.

Years ago, Tim and I went to see a show called Spamalot which was based on the Monty Python movies.

Sometime in act II, some giant letters dropped down onto the stage as a clue for the characters:  DIOI.  As they pretended to try various pronunciations, it suddenly dawned on me that it referred to a theater seat:row D, seat 101, and Tim was sitting in it.

Pure, unadulterated terror overtook me. What if it also included my seat, 102?   I broke out in a sweat as though I’d just gotten a call from a creepy clown who said they were inside the house.  I totally lost the ability to speak, and started looking around for some nice, safe stack of knives to hide behind.  I couldn’t even warn Tim about the horrible fate that was soon to befall him.  I briefly wondered how hard it would be to claw my way over him and make a dash for the exit.  Maybe they would be happy with just one human sacrifice and I could curl up in a ball in the lobby until the coast was clear, or possibly bury myself at the bottom of the popcorn machine.

Sure enough, within a nanosecond, one of the actors was standing next to Tim, pulling him up onto the stage. I wondered if yelling “fire!” in a crowded theater would get me thrown in jail, or if the judge would just impose a fine.

When the blood finally returned to my head, and I didn’t feel like passing out at the near death miss I  had just experienced, I realized that far from sharing in the massive panic attack I was having, Tim was actually having the time of his life.  He was dancing and singing and totally hamming it up.

He would have been the first contestant voted off the island, stage or planet, but he was not going to let a little thing like not knowing the words or moves get in the way of his broadway debut.  I’m pretty sure the actors were wishing the sign had said D102 or 103 or 10-anything as they looked around for an actual hook to get him off the stage.

People on the way out of the theater were actually coming up and asking him how long he had been with the production.  To this day, just the thought still makes my blood run cold.

Do not let the long list of ingredients scare you.  This recipe is actually pretty simple and mostly requires letting things cook on their own, so you can make each part while the other parts are cooking and be done with it more quickly than you think.

Ingredients:

• 3 honey nut squash, or 1 butternut squash
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 cup green lentils
• 1  1/2 cups water
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup diced mushroom
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 cup corn (frozen is good; you don’t even have to defrost it)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered (measured after cutting)
• roasted butternut squash seeds (packaged are fine if you don’t have the time to clean and roast them yourself)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, rub with a bit of olive oil, place face down on a lined baking sheet and roast till tender when pricked with a fork (about 20-25 minutes for honey it and 30-40 for butternut)
3. Meanwhile, rinse the lentils. In a pot, sauté the 1/4 cup onion about 5 minutes till tender over low heat.  Add the teaspoon of garlic and Tablespoon of parsley and sauté 30 seconds till fragrant.  Add the lentils, bay leaf and 1  1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover, turn down to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or till lentils are tender but not mushy.
4. While the lentils are cooking, sauté the carrots, celery and  onion about 5 minutes over low heat till just starting to get tender.  Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-5 minutes, then add the thyme, garlic, corn and tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low simmer and continue to cook about 5-10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and all juices are mostly evaporated.  You don’t want the mixture dry as the desert, but you don’t want it to be soupy.
5. When the squash is cooked, allow to cool enough to handle it.  Scoop out the insides, leaving about a 1/4 inch around so it will hold together.  In a small bowl, crush the chickpeas so that no pieces remain, mix in the squash, rosemary and maple syrup.
6. To assemble: divide the squash mixture evenly into the bottom of the squash, forming the bottom layer.  Drain the lentils, discarding the bay leaf,add salt and pepper to taste,  and divide them among the squash to form the second layer.  Add the mixed veggies as the top layer, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
7. To reheat before serving, cover tightly and put into a 350 oven for about 20 minutes (longer if they are cold from the refrigerator). Sprinkle with the seeds and serve.

Enjoy!