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Acorn Squash Circles Filled With Spinach

(recipe, Donia Clark)

Introduction

I found this recipe in one of my roommates cookbooks: the Smith & Hawken Gardeners Community Cookbook. It's a cookbook of recipes compiled from people, famous and otherwise, who garden showcasing the fruits, herbs and/or vegetables they grow. This particular recipe was submitted by Diana Luck of Farmington, NM with a couple minute changes from me and it confirms that you can't lose when you cook with booze. This recipe isn't for lightweights. It involves some work, but, damn, is it worth it! Listen to Henry Rollins "Hot Animal Machine" album while making this.

Ingredients

  1. 2 medium acorn squash
  2. 1 cup dried cranberries
  3. ⅓ cup dried currants, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained
  4. 1 cup merlot
  5. 1 cup water
  6. ¼ cup maple syrup
  7. ½ tsp. grated nutmeg
  8. 1 tsp. cornstarch
  9. ¾ lb. fresh spinach

Steps

  1. Prepare the cranberry sauce by combining the cranberries, currants, merlot, water, maple syrup and nutmeg in a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tbsps. warm water.
  4. Stir into the cranberry mixture. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Let cool while making the squash.
  7. Cut the top off the squash.
  8. Scrape out the centers (Save those seeds! They taste great roasted!)
  9. Cut squash into 1-inch thick rounds.
  10. Place the rounds in a single layer in a vegetable steamer.
  11. Steam for about 15 minutes.
  12. Add a layer of spinach across the center of the squash rounds.
  13. Steam for a couple more minutes.
  14. Transfer the rounds to a plate.
  15. Repeat steaming with another batch until all the circles are done.
  16. Spoon cranberry sauce over squash and spinach.