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Lamb in Acorn Squash

Category : Featured, Lamb, Main Dishes

This popped into my head as I meandered through the farmer’s market the other week. The flavors kept crossing my mind until I finally had to give it a try. It really turned out to be very flavorful, the spices, lamb and squash are naturals together!

Ingredients
2 large Acorn Squash
1 lb ground lamb
1 leek
, sliced into 1/4″ to 1/2″ slices
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup of cooked rice
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup red beer
(like Killian’s)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (or maple sugar) – divided
2 Tablespoons Garam Masala – divided
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Put ground lamb in a frying pan and break it up so that it cooks like ground hamburger. Season with 1 Tablespoon Garam Marsala, both peppers and salt. Add the leeks and garlic as it starts to cook.

When the lamb is cooked through and crumbly, and the leek is soft, drain off any fat. In the pan add the tomato paste, wine, the other Tablespoon of Garam Marsala and 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir well and add the lamb back in. Add the beer and mix well.

Once it’s all mixed, add the rice and turn off the heat while you prepare the acorn squash.

Slice the squash lengthwise and remove all the pulp and seeds. Rub the insides with the rest of the sugar.

Fill the squash with the lamb and rice mixture until heaping, but packed tight. Put a small square of tin foil over just the filling to protect it from drying out.

Place the squash on a baking pan and place in the middle of the oven. Baking times will really depend on the size and thickness of the squash. Expect a minimum of 45 minutes, up to 75 minutes. Test squash by poking the flesh with a fork. It should be soft and tender.

I like to finish this dish with a sprinkling of fresh ground Parmesan cheese.