Corn Filled Gem Squash

Do you remember the little South African Shop excursion I wrote about a few days ago? Well, some of the ingredients I had kept on giving, and we used some to make this corn filled gem squash recipe. This was actually at Wimbledon station. I am not even sure what I was looking for that day but I noticed these deep green spaghetti squash like balls, except these were the size of cricket balls. I grabbed a couple of them without thinking? Then I decided to ask the store keep more about them.

How to Cook Gem Squash

Upon asking the store keeper about gem squash, he answered that a favourite way to have them would be roasted, stuffed with a creamy sweetcorn filling. That sounded so delectable that I just had to try it. On this occasion I had extra samp and beans in the freezer and I really wanted to use them up. We have so many choices these days that it is so easy to forgo certain foods if we don’t feel like eating them. I have woken up to being a lot more conscious about food waste from packaging to uneaten food. The journey food takes from the farm to the plate is one we should all try to be more aware of. If we have more awareness, then we might make a bigger impact.

Cooking corn filled gem squash does not take much time at all. Whilst the outer skin looks very hard and sturdy, roasting the squash till cooked through can take as little as 15 minutes. This gives you enough time to quickly whip up some creamy corn filling, then fill up the quash before reintroducing them back to the oven till the top is golden brown.

Watch the recipe in our video here.

Print Recipe

Corn Filled Gem Squash

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By Freda Muyambo – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Corn filled gem squash is a South African favourite but here is one recipe you can make with samp and beans, or by using up what you already have in the fridge or freezer.

Ingredients

• 2 gem squash
• 1 to 2 cups of cooked samp and beans
• 1/4 cup double cream
• 60g cheddar cheese
• Seasoning to taste

Instructions

1

1. Cut the gem squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Remove the pip on top of the squash so that the halves can lie flat and even when filled.

2

2. Drizzle with a little olive oil then bake in a hot over for 15 minutes.

3

3. In the meantime take your pre-cooked samp and beans and warm them up in a saucepan. If you are using sweetcorn, then a 250g can of sweetcorn will do.

4

4. Add the cream, half the cheese and seasoning into the mixture and allow the cheese to melt and thicken it.

5

5. Remove the squash from the oven after 15 minutes and fill the cavities with the corn mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of easy of the halves. Return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. You can always check how hard the squash is by piercing with a sharp knife. If there is no resistance then it is cooked.

Notes

Serve as a side dish or vegetarian main with loads of fresh salad.