I thought of this as I was driving home from an intense day at work, and looked forward to throwing together the layers of this recipe. I added ingredients by sight, taste, and feel—which is the most satisfying way to cook—and provided a nice antidote to the measured pace of my work day.

Ingredients

• 2 delicata squash
• 1/4 of a large onion, chopped
• 1 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 1-1/2 c. red lentils
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• olive oil
• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
• 4 c. chopped fresh greens: Swiss chard or spinach
• 1 c. grated mozarella
• 1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Remove the seeds from the squash, coat very lightly with oil (or spray oil) and place cut side down on parchment. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven.

While the squash is baking, in a medium saucepan, saute the onion in a little olive oil, then stir in the lentils to coat with oil. Gradually stir in chicken stock until the broth is about 1/2 inch above the lentils. Stir in the ginger, coriander, and turmeric, and lemon zest. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes, adding more stock as needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute the greens and garlic in a little olive oil, just until barely wilted, then remove from heat.

Construct the squash: Place the squash into a fresh baking pan. Fill with lentil mixture until level with the cut edge. Sprinkle on mozarella cheese and place under the broiler just until melted. Remove from oven and, using tongs, place on some greens. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.