This squash takes so well to roasting – the sweet flesh hardly needs any adornment because it has so much flavor. The skin is also edible, so there’s no need to peel. After roasting, you can cut right through the skin with a fork! I also love that delicata squash cooks more quickly than hardier winter squashes like acorn and butternut squashes. This makes it easy to cook on a weeknight. For this recipe, I’ve cut the delicata down its length, scooped out the seeds, and roasted the halves whole. After roasting, I stuffed the roasted halves with red quinoa and sautéed mushrooms, and drizzled an easy citrus-yogurt sauce over top. The timing works well: while the halves are roasting, you can make the filling. You can even make the mushrooms and the quinoa filling all in the same saucepan – no need to make more dishes. Serve this stuffed squash alongside chicken or fish, or if there are vegetarians at the table, offer them two halves as an entree. The bright orange flesh topped with the red grain feels like a celebration. If you can’t find shiitake mushrooms or they are too expensive, it’s fine to substitute another kind of mushroom. Set the squash on the baking sheet and brush the insides and cut surfaces with olive oil. Mix together the salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander in a bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the squash halves. If the halves have not browned, slide them under the broiler for 1 minute, and watch them carefully to avoid burning. Pour in the water – stand back because it will splatter – and immediately turn the heat to low. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. If there is water left in the pan, uncover it and continue cooking for a 2 to 3 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated or been absorbed.
