This is a hearty fall dish that can be made vegetarian if you leave out the sausage.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 acorn squash
2 Tbl. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup wild rice
1 shallot, minced
1/2 pd. ground sausage (or about three links with casings removed)
8 oz. package cremini mushrooms
Tuscan kale, ribs removed and leaves cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbl. dijon
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth or white wine or water
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut acorn squash in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds. Cut the pointy ends if needed so they can sit flat when you serve.
Rub a little olive oil inside each squash half including on the cut rims and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet with the hollow side down and put into oven. Cook about 30 minutes or until they're tender.
While squash are cooking make the wild rice following the package instructions. Also start the filling mixture: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté until it's fully cooked and lightly browned. Blot out as much of the sausage grease as you can with paper towels. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft and the mushrooms have released their juices and are soft. Add the kale pieces and stir until wilted, about 5 minutes. Keep the mixture warm until the rice is done.
Fold the cooked rice into the sausage mixture. Add the dijon and stir to incorporate it throughout the mixture. Add just enough of the broth to moisten the filling. Stir in the lemon zest, almonds and parmesan. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. You can also add more dijon if it seems like it needs it.
When the squash halves are done, pull them out of the oven and flip them over so the hollow side is up. Scoop some of the rice mixture into each squash. Either serve immediately with a little more parmesan sprinkled on top or set aside and reheat when ready to serve.
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