Tangy Braised Chickpeas in Acorn Squash Bowl

First Snow was a bit unexpected and odd this year. The unexpected part was it sounded like it was going to be a dusting that would melt within several hours, as if it had never arrived. Instead, many inches fell and I ended up shoveling IN OCTOBER. The odd part was the leaves have lingered on the trees this year and it's pretty unusual to see snow and gold or red leaves sharing space on a tree limb. It was also quite beautiful. Then, one week later it was in the 70s for several days in a row and it has felt amazing.

Anyway, enough weather talk. My point in all this is to tell you that I totally rocked First Snow in Autumn dinner. There's a dish I've been meaning to make from Smitten Kitchen (of course), and it's been a while since I've used an acorn squash as a bowl. It seemed like these could make a nice pairing and they really did. The flavors worked well together and paired with a nice glass of red wine, you've got yourself a cozy and soul satisfying meal. I bought a couple more acorn squashes and am going to experiment with using them as a bowl for a different bean based meal. There's a black bean spinach chili I haven't made in a long time and that might be just the thing.

Here's the link to the Smitten Kitchen recipe:

Tangy Braised Chickpeas

Tangy Braised Chickpeas in Acorn Squash

Tangy Braised Chickpea Stew

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large thick carrots, cut into 1/4" thick slices

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/4 tspn chili flakes

at least 8 oz of thickly sliced mushrooms - crimini or portabella

4 tblspn tomato paste

1 1/2 tblspn brown sugar

3-4 cups broth - mushroom or other veg broth

1/3 cup sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar can also be used)

2 tspns worcestershire sauce (tamari could be used in its place)

2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained

1 bay leaf

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Use a pot that can go from stove to oven (like a Le Creuset dutch oven). Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add onions. Cook for a few minutes until softened and then add garlic, cook for another 2 minutes.

3.  Add carrots, salt and both peppers. Cook for 2 minutes until the carrots begin to glisten.

4.  Add tomato paste and brown sugar. Cook for a few minutes until well incorporated. 

5.  Add chickpeas, worcestershire, broth, bay leaf and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, adding another teaspoon of salt and some pepper.

6. Once simmering cover tightly with a lid. Put in oven, arranging racks so there is also room for the squash pan to fit in there with it later.

Acorn Squash

1/2 an acorn squash per person

olive oil

salt and pepper

chopped parsley for garnish

1. Cut acorn squash in half. You can do it in either direction, based on your preference, but I did it crosswise rather than lengthwise because then you can get a better base for it to sit flat as a bowl. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

2. Put a little olive oil in the cavity, and then using your hands, rub it all around the inside and the top edge. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Put on a baking dish, cavity side facing upwards.

4. Place in oven. Test for doneness after about 30 minutes. I let mine stay in the most of the remaining time I cooked the chickpeas (a little over an hour by the time I put them in) and the flesh got very soft and caramelized, which I liked. It made it easy (and tasty) to mix the squash with bites of the stew. 

To serve, place squash into a wide soup bowl or plate. Ladle stew into the acorn squash and then some more around it in the plate. Garnish with parsley.