Twice Roasted

acorn Squash

With wild rice, Sausage, Apples, and Cranberries

Twice Roasted acorn Squash

with wild rice, Sausage, Apples, and Cranberries

A perfect make-ahead dish for fall, these creamy, sweet and savory orange beauties are overflowing with flavors of the season—apples, cranberries, pecans, and maple—plus wild rice, fresh herbs, and savory sausage—are a real show-stopper. Just looking at them makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I’m visualizing eating one of these by a roaring fire, wearing a comfy sweater, and looking out the window at a magnificent display of autumn colors that complement the colors in the dish.

For a simple supper, you need nothing else, as all your food groups make an appearance.

They also make a perfect entrée for a special holiday meal. You can prep them a day or so in advance and bake them just before serving, letting you turn your attention to other matters.

It’s also very versatile. If you’re visiting the Twisted Challah and are not concerned with eating kosher, you can use any kind of sausage you like. If you do keep kosher, use turkey or chicken sausage. And if you’re vegetarian, there are now lots of very good vegetarian sausages available in almost every supermarket. My favorite for this dish would be Impossible brand bratwurst.

Italian style sausage would certainly work, but I’m seeing this dish as wanting more of a country type sausage, seasoned with sage and other herbs.

What makes these Stuffed Acorn Squashes so fabulous?

  • They’re delicious.

  • The many colors of the ingredients make this visually appealing.

  • The many ingredients in the stuffing make each bite interesting.

  • They’re chock-full of protein.

  • Because they contain vegetables of every color, they’re super nutritious.

  • They’re delicious.

Twice Roasted Acorn Squash with with wild rice, Sausage, Apples, and Cranberries

The stuffing is enough to fill approximately 4 acorn squash. Each whole squash serves two.

Prepare the squash:

 Ingredients:

as many squash as you need, planning on one squash for every two people.

a bit of walnut oil or good olive oil

pure maple syrup for brushing on the surface of the squash

Smoked paprika

Diamond Crystal kosher salt and pepper

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°.

  • Cut each squash in half, from stem to root.

  • Tip: If the squash is difficult to cut, stab it with a fork in one or two places and microwave it for 1 minute. It will soften just enough to make it easier to cut.

  • Use a melon baller or a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the hairy fibers.

  • Then rub the entire squash, inside and out, with the oil.

  • Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.

  • Brush the flesh side lightly with the maple syrup (Please don’t use anything called pancake syrup or table syrup) and lay the squash halves, cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking pan. (It’s the combination of oil and sugar that caramelizes the squash.)

  • Roast for about 30—35 minutes, until the squash is just fork-tender and the surface of the cut side is somewhat caramelized. Let them rest until they’re cool enough to handle.

For the stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice

2 ½ cups stock (chicken, chicken flavor, or vegetable)

½ cup apple cider

walnut oil, or a good, fruity, extra-virgin olive oil, as needed for sautéing

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1 stalk celery, diced small

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large portobello mushroom cap, medium dice

1 pound sausage of your choice, cut into very small pieces

2 medium size apples (honeycrisp and granny smith are good choices), peeled and cored, medium dice

¾ cup dried cranberries

¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans

1½ teaspoons fresh sage, chopped, more or less to taste

1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, more or less to taste

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus a bit more for garnish

½ teaspoon ground allspice

a pinch of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

Diamond Crystal kosher salt and pepper, to taste

a dusting of paprika, sweet or smoked

Method:

  • Warm a small glug of oil in a medium saucepan and add the wild rice, tossing to coat the rice in the oil, for about 2 minutes or so.

  • Add the stock and the cider. Depending upon the saltiness of your stock, you might need to add a bit of salt. I’ll leave that to your discretion.

  • Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down very low. Cover the pot and cook the rice as instructed on the box. When the rice is done, remove the pot from the heat and set it aside.

  • Warm a small glug of oil in a skillet and add the onion. Sauté over low/medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.

  • Add the celery, the garlic, the mushrooms, and the sausage and continue to sauté until everything is golden and the sausage is cooked through.

  • Add the herbs and spices and cook for a few more minutes.

  • Add the cranberries, the apples, and the pecans, and sauté for a few minutes longer.

  • Add in the cooked wild rice and cook for 5 minutes or so, gently tossing everything together. so that the flavors blend. Add a few twists of black pepper and taste for salt.

  • Heat the oven to 350°.

  • Set the roasted squash halves, skin side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

  • Generously fill the hollow centers with the stuffing mixture, making a nice mound.

  • Sprinkle with a little paprika for color

  • Roast the stuffed squash for 30 minutes.

  • Garnish the squash with a little chopped parsley and serve.

 Or…Fill the squash cups with the pilaf, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them until ready to bake, up to 2 days in advance.

Did you make it? Was it fabulous?

They should look like this.

And while they’re roasting . . .

Prepare the stuffing