There is something supremely satisfying about consuming an entire dish, including, well, the dish itself. Presenting food in food, or edible vessels, isn’t only efficient and no-waste, but it’s often highly decorative.
Certain foods lend themselves to standing in for a bowl or a container. A prime example is winter squash. These hardy vegetables have hard, tough skin or shells that often give way to vibrant, vitamin- and antioxidant-rich flesh. When the squash is halved and seeded, then roasted in the oven, the outer shell softens yet retains its shape, while the flesh becomes tender and sweet, thanks to ample natural sugars. As a result, the half becomes a whole meal when stuffed with grains, such as rice and bulgur, or protein-rich quinoa seeds. The stuffing is versatile and can be spiced and enhanced with other ingredients, such as sautéed aromatics (onion, celery, garlic), dried fruit, nuts, cheese, or ground meat.
