One week from today, almost everyone will be eating turkey. One week from tomorrow, almost everyone will be eating their turkey leftovers. And, one week from Sunday, after weeks of planning, almost everyone will say, it will be a very long time until they want to see turkey on their plate again. So, we better get our turkey recipes in now.
Truthfully, we do not eat a lot of meat in our house. I’m not a big fan, and luckily, Larry, who is a big fan, is fine getting his steak, chorizo and pork chops, in restaurants. But, every once in a while, I linger a moment longer near the butcher thinking about chicken meatballs or fantasizing about the smell of my favorite ragu simmering on the stove. And sometimes, even though quinoa, farro or lentils would be the obvious choice, I stand at the farmers market, staring at a huge basket of delicatas, and know they need to be stuffed with ground turkey.
The season for delicatas, my absolute favorite winter squash, is starting to wind down. They’re never around quite as long as the butternut or spaghetti, which I suppose makes them an even bigger treat every September. I love that delicatas do not have to be peeled, are small enough to cut into easily and cook quickly. Typically, I slice them into rounds or half moons, toss with a bit of olive oil, cayenne and paprika, and roast until they’re tender and caramelized. They’re lovely in a kale salad, added to a grains, or plucked straight from the sheet pan.
I’ve never used them as a vessel. I’m pretty sure I have a mental block about things that are stuffed – bell peppers, tomatoes and zucchini always seemed to be filled with things that I’m not interested in eating. But, last week, at the farmers market, thinking about the delicatas dwindling season, I wanted them to be the main show. And that was it. I didn’t spend any time conceptualizing the filling because the turkey, apple and onion mixture was already in my head as I searched through to find four of equal size – long, straight, thinner than the others.
It took a week for me to get back to the store to buy the ground turkey. In that time, my mind may have drifted back to quinoa once or twice. But, then I bought the turkey and committed.
On Sunday, we sliced and seeded the squash, chopped the onions and garlic and stored it all away. Monday, as Reeve napped, I roasted the squash, sautéed the onion and chopped the apple. The whole recipe came together so quickly and smelled so perfectly fall, that I almost didn’t care how beige the whole thing looked. Almost. Really. (OK, maybe I ran to the store for baby kale and pomegranate to brighten up the other half of the plate, and the nutrition.)
This stuffed delicata squash – sweet thanks to the onion, apples, wine and pecans, savory thanks to the turkey, sage and cayenne, and just slightly rich, thanks to the mascarpone laced throughout, were enough to make me possibly crave turkey again. Just not for at least a couple weeks.
As for the mascarpone. If I were reading a recipe that called for it, I would be tempted to skip it, but I urge you not to. The creaminess helps pull all the flavors together and slightly binds the filling. But, do not worry (if you, like me, are the type to worry about such things), the mascarpone does not result in a creamy filling, as you can see in the pictures.
Depending upon the size of your squash, you may have extra filling (I had a little over ½ cup left). Scoop it on top of rice, roll it in a tortilla, or, if you're me, eat it straight out of the pan, and call it breakfast.
- 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 4 delicata squash (each about 7-8 inches long)
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large firm apple, cut into ¼-inch dice (I used a Pink Lady)
- ¾ teaspoon dried sage
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup toasted chopped pecans
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Wash and dry squash. Trim ends from squash; halve, scoop and discard seeds. On baking sheet, toss squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and kosher salt. (Alternatively, coat squash with cooking spray and skip the oil). Place cut side-down on baking sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until tender and golden brown along the bottom.
- Meanwhile, in skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot, add onion and a pinch of kosher salt; cook 5-7 minutes, or until just starting to turn tender. Add apples, sage, cayenne and another pinch of salt; stir to coat. Cook 5 minutes, or until apples have softened, but still retain their shape. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Push onion mixture to one side of the pan (if you have a cooler part of your burner, turn the pan so that that side is over it). Add remaining teaspoon olive oil to the empty side. Add ground turkey, a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Increase heat to high and cook 5 minutes, or until the turkey is browned and mostly cooked through. Stir into onion mixture and cook 1-2 minutes more, or until turkey is completely cooked through.
- Add white wine and cook 2 minutes, or until reduced. Remove from heat. Dollop mascarpone on top and stir to melt completely. Stir in pecans. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Flip squash so that they are bowl side-up. (You could also transfer to a baking dish for a prettier final presentation.) Using a large cookie scoop, transfer turkey mixture to squash, mounding on top. If any pecans are completely exposed, tuck them into the filling to prevent burning while cooking. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until browned.
• Trim, halve and seed it one day ahead of time.
• Roast it a day ahead or the earlier in the day.
The filling
• Chop onions and garlic a day ahead of time; store separately.
• Toast pecans a couple days ahead of time.
• Make the entire filling one day ahead of time.
Options for making the entire dish ahead of time
• Fill squash with ground turkey mixture. Store covered, in a single layer, until ready to eat. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking, if you have the time. Bake uncovered 25 minutes, or until browned and completely heated through.
• Store roasted squash and cooked filling mixture separately. On the night of, bake squash about 10 minutes, or until warm. Meanwhile, warm filling to remove the chill (either in the microwave or a sauce pot). Add filling to squash. Bake 15 minutes, or until heated all the way through and browned.
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