This is a traditional recipe from northeast of Brazil. The final dish looks appealing on your table.

You can fill the squash with shrimps, chicken or use your creativity.

In Brazil, this dish is prepared with a Japanese Squash (Kabocha) or an Acorn Squash. In the US, Buttercup Squash is preferred to prepare this delicious dish.

Brazilians use Catupiry Cheese with the shrimp; in US, it is substituted with cream cheese.

Ingredients:

1 large squash (we prefer a buttercup squash)

2 tablespoon margarine

1 large onion, grated

3 cups tomato puree

2 cubes beef bouillon.

2 lb cooked shrimps

salt

3 tablespoon cornstarch

1 can of table cream (or 1pint of dairy cream)

4 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 bar cream cheese (8 oz) or farmer cheese.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut a large hole on the top of squash.

Remove seeds and fiber, cleaning thoroughly inside.

Place cut side down in a ceramic casserole pan with a small amount of water in bottom.

Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, dissolve the corn starch in a cup half filled with tomato puree

Heat the margarine in a large saucepan, combine the grated onion, beef bouillon. Fry the onion and add the tomato puree, previously dissolved cornstarch and thaw shrimps. Bring the mixture to boil and cook for 7 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Take the saucepan out of the heat, stir in the table cream, and set aside.

Carefully remove the baked squash from the oven turn the squash hole up and remove any excess o water remaining in the casserole.

Fill in the hole with half of the cream cheese, fill in the shrimps and place the remaining cheese on the top.

You can re-heat or microwave to serve.

While serving, scrape internally so that you can serve some squash flesh with the shrimp sauce.

Alternative Preparation Using Microwave:

You can cook the squash in the microwave instead of using an oven.

Place squash cut side down in microwave safe container. Add a little water. Microwave on High (100% power) 5 to 7 minutes, turning dish once. Continue cooking, if necessary, until squash is tender.

Note:
You can replace the shrimps with chicken or beef as you like.