Around the World in 80 Foods: Armenian Ghapama-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash

If any of you, like me, have friends from Armenia and happen to drop the word "Ghapama" by accident, you know as well as I do that a strange metamorphosis suddenly takes place before your eyes. Your friend's eyes will roll back in their head, their jaw will drop a litte bit and you will swear you can hear their stomach growling! It's true! And you might wonder why? But...that's only if you don't KNOW what Ghapama is! For those of you who had this same problem as I did in the beginning, my pal and food mentor Mnason from When the Lion Roars has helped me concoct a similar recipe (we just swapped out squash varieties!)  fit for a Thanksgiving feast! 

1 large acorn squash

4-5 Tablespoons butter

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. raisins

2 Tbsp. dried plums, chopped

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

1 small apple, cored and chopped

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

sea salt to taste

Cut yoursquash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place sliced side down on an oiled baking sheet and place in a wood cook stove until the meat (cut side) is soft and the shell sinks away when pressed semi-gently with your finger. Scoop out the meat and place in a bowl. In a saucepan, melt the butter and honey together over med-low heat. Add to the squash, along with all the other ingredients, season with sea salt (Himalayan pink is a good choice) to taste. Place the filling back into the hollowed out squash shells, cover with aluminum foil and place back in oven until thoroughly re-heated. Enjoy!

Ghapama Muffins:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1 heaping cup leftover Ghapama squash filling

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a glass measuring cup, measure the milk and oil, whisk in an egg and blend into dry mixture. Add the squash filling. Grease a 12 count muffin tin and fill each cup to the top. Bake in a 375 degree ovenuntil a toothpick inserted comes out clean.