Stuffed Acorn Squash with Barley

 

Ingredients

• 1 small acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 fennel bulb (about 6 ounces), trimmed of stalks, cored, and chopped fine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Balsamic vinegar, for serving

Directions

1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.
2. Brush cut sides of squash with 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and lay cut-side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast on lower-middle rack until tender (tip of paring knife can be slipped into flesh with no resistance), 45 to 55 minutes. Remove squash from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to boil in small saucepan. Stir in barley and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until barley is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. Wipe saucepan dry, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in fennel and shallot and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, coriander, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Off heat, stir in cooked barley, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, pine nuts, and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Flip roasted squash over and scoop out flesh, leaving 1/8-inch thickness of flesh in each shell. Gently fold cooked squash into barley mixture, then mound mixture evenly in squash shells. (Stuffed squash can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Finish and bake as directed, increasing baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.)
7. Sprinkle squash with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake on upper-middle rack until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste and serve.

 Recipe from America's Test Kitchen