What a delicacy!!!

On my last post, I talked about the end of the summer with all the stress that comes along with: kids returning to school, catching up on work that we left behind when we went to the vacation, nights are cooler and soon, we will not be able to show up our tan skin, be proud of all that weight that we lost…we will soon be leaving inside a bit more means eventually more food, dropping our summer diet and I do not forget that with the autumn comes the season of family parties with the pick on Thanksgiving. We all know that when the cold season comes also come the unhealthy foods. Our diet is richer and no one really cares about the next spring. But it’s already time to take care of your body, keep the summer good job, healthy diet and good looking people…
At Chef Fresh Cuisine, we will love to see everyone healthy, rich, and well fit in the community i.e. we are committed to work with local farmers, use as much as possible the seasonal ingredients to create that simple syllogism: eat local food when is available is cheap, fresh, healthier and keep our local farmer business alive.
I choose to bring into your table one of the so called winter squash that most of us are not familiar with but what a delicacy! Delicata squash, Peanut squash, Bohemian squash, Potato squash and back home in Cameroon, in my tribe the name to call that delicacy is: Lebog (when we use that word as qualification it means the most delicate and we use it only for babies, beautiful young girl…). Why so many names for such a little thing, just a squash one will ask. Yes it’s a simple winter squash but not that simple. Delicata squash is an heirloom vegetable, can be found in the market a year round because storage is simple and easy. The best to enjoy it is between August and October. Delicata squash is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like corn and sweet potatoes. Size may range from 5 to 10 inches in length. The squash can be baked or steamed. The thin skin is also edible.
The Delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn't suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months. Source from: http://whatscookingamerica.net
This past Sunday, I had friends over and we had a baked Delicata squash stuffed with Mozzarella and wild mushrooms duxelles.
Here is the recipe to enjoy with your friends and family. Please come back for more tips at: http://www.cheffreshcuisine.com
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb mix wild mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and finely chopped
• 2 medium shallots finely diced
• 8 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly crushed black pepper to taste
• 1 cup sodium free chicken stock
• 2 Delicata squash halve, seeded
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven at 375ºF. Prepare the squashes and reserve.
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add in mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes or so. Add in shallots and garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in wine and chicken stock. Continue to cook until the liquid is evaporated. Check the seasoning and Remove from the pan.
Let the Duxelles seat for 10 minutes or when cold. Mix together cheese and cream.
Stuff the squashes with Duxelles and top them with cheese and cream mix. Bake the finish product for 30 minutes and serve immediately with a little autumn mix green.