EASY COOKING WITH MOORE – CURRIED SQUASH & RICE CASSEROLE

BY BEV MOORE

Here’s a recipe that I found down under using what they call pumpkin. It is not like our orange Halloween pumpkin, but rather a silver-skinned, orange fleshed squash called, I think, either White Pumpkin or Blue Hokkaido.

However, I have made this recipe with many kinds of squash: acorn, butternut, kabocha, to name a few.

Last Halloween, I did take the time to cook up our large orange pumpkin that we did not carve, but just had sitting on the doorstep in a display. After cleaning out the insides, I placed the quarters in a 350° oven for about an hour and a half, with a pan of water on the bottom shelf. Once cooled, I scraped out the flesh, wrapped it in a large tea towel and squeezed out a lot of liquid. It made a great pie that was somewhat more firm than the kind made with canned pumpkin.

I made pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving last year with canned pumpkin. I had some eggnog in the fridge that needed using up, so I used that instead of the usual canned milk. I think it added a little something to the taste.

CURRIED SQUASH & RICE CASSEROLE

This recipe can be made either on top of the stove or in the oven.

2 Tbsp. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups veggie broth

1 – 14 oz. tin coconut milk

2 ½ cups diced squash

1 ½ cups basmati rice (long grain or jasmine good also)

½ cup raisins or currants

1 – 14 oz. tin of black beans drained and rinsed*

Sautee onions and shallots in oil.

Add spices.

Cook 5 minutes.

Stir in broth, coconut milk and boil 1 minute.

Add rice and raisins (or currants).

Cover and bake 20 minutes in 350° oven,

then uncover for 10 minutes more.

OR use a large frying pan with a lid and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes,

stirring once

and then simmer for last 10 minutes.

Garnish with slivered, toasted almonds.

* This turns it into a main vegetarian dish.