It’s Monday and time for the #Moosewood2022 challenge! This recipe comes right from the original Moosewood Cookbook, one we purchased in 1978.

This was surprisingly filling, and unsurprisingly, delicious. I’ll admit to taking a shortcut with the butternut squash though as our local grocer did not have any butternut squash this week. I used a bag of quick-frozen squash, which is a timesaver of course, but less tasty than if I had started by roasting my own vegetable. Also, frozen squash, even when defrosted slowly, has a lot of water that needs to be poured off. Next time, I’ll hold out for the real thing.

I served the squash with Mill City Red, a local hot sauce created by Brian Ruhlman of Craic Sauce. If you’re not fortunate enough to live locally in Lowell, Massachusetts, you can find this sauce online here.

Arabian Squash-Cheese Casserole

Mollie Katzen, Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 medium-large butternut or acorn squash
• 1 heaping c chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 heaping c mixed green and red peppers, chopped
• 3 TBSP butter for sauté (I used coconut oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 c buttermilk or yogurt (I used 0% yogurt)
• 1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
• black & red pepper to taste
• 1/4 c sunflower seeds or chopped nuts for the top) (I used walnuts)

Method

1. Cut the squash down the middle lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, and place it face-down on an oiled tray. Bake it at 375 degrees about 35 minutes, or until soft. Cool until handle-able; scoop out and mash.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic, lightly salted, in butter. When the onion is translucent, add the chopped peppers. Sauté until the peppers are just under-done.
3. Beat eggs with buttermilk or yogurt. Crumble in the feta cheese. Combine everything and mix well. Add salt, black pepper and red pepper or hot sauce (I held the hot sauce until serving).
4. Spread into a butter casserole or baking pan. Top with seeds or nuts.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F – covered for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes.