If using Acorn or Butternut squash you may stuff the cavity with the rice mixture. I used a kabocha squash - too large to stuff - cut into crescents. The rice mixture is nestled into the curve of the crescents for this dish.
Recipe: Wild Rice Stuffed Kabocha Crescents (serves 3 to 4)
Plan for one or two crescents for each person. Round out with a nice salad. Preheat oven to 375-degrees
5 or 6 kabocha slices, cut from stem to base about one-inch thick
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Brush the bottom of a casserole dish lightly with oil. Lay the crescents on their sides. Brush the top sides with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until flesh is easily pierced with a fork. While squash bakes prepare the wild rice mixture.
Rice Mixture:
½ cup wild rice
1-cup vegetable or chicken broth, or 1-cup hot water plus 1 tsp bullion granules
¼ tsp salt
In a small saucepan combine the rice, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to a simmer, cooking 40 to 45 minutes until tender and the rice has taken up most of the moisture. Meanwhile….
Stuffing Mixture:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts toasted in a dry skillet, til fragrant. Set aside.
2 TBS olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 red-skinned apples, cored and diced
4 TBS fresh, minced sage (2 TBS dried)
4 TBS fresh, minced parsley (2 TBS dried)
3 TBS golden raisins
Wipe out the pan used to toast the walnuts and add the 2 TBS olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and celery. Cook until softened and add the minced garlic, stirring until heated through and fragrant – about 2 minutes.
Add the diced apple, sage, parsley, and salt. Sauté gently for about 2 minutes. Add the toasted walnuts and raisins. Add the cooked rice.
Spoon the stuffing into the squash cavities. Or, spoon the stuffing into the curves of the slices. Cover the dish with a lid or with foil and bake at 375-degrees for 20 minutes to heat through.
Serve with a side-garnish of whole-cranberry jelly.
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