Baked Acorn Squash With Wild Rice Medley Food

WILD-RICE STUFFED SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange squash cut side down; cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add shallot, garlic, and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and 1 3/4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, without stirring, about 25 minutes.
• Remove rice from heat, and stir in cherries and pecans; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Season the inside of each squash half with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, mound stuffing into halves, and serve.

WILD RICE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking pans, and place the cleaned-out squash, cut sides down, into the pans. Bake in the preheated oven until barely soft to the touch, about 25 minutes.
• Make the stuffing mix as instructed on the package, and set aside.
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook and stir until they give up their juice, about 5 more minutes. Add the rice mix and sage, and cook and stir the rice and vegetables until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir to combine, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer the rice mixture until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Lightly mix the cooked rice mixture with the stuffing in a bowl, and pile the mixture into the centers of the squash without packing it. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake until the squash are tender and the stuffing is hot, about 15 more minutes.

WILD RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cut squash lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds. Brush with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon coriander and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Place squash in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan, cut sides up. Bake 35-45 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork., In a small bowl, combine carrots and remaining oil, salt, coriander and nutmeg. Bake 15-20 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in pecans, cherries, sage, garlic and syrup. Bake 10 minutes longer., Rinse wild rice thoroughly; drain. In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until softened. Stir in rice and cinnamon, then add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until rice is fluffy and tender. Drain if necessary., Combine rice and carrot mixtures. Arrange squash on a serving platter, cut sides up. Fill with rice mixture. Serve warm.

WILD RICE STUFFED SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut each squash crosswise in half; remove and discard seeds. Cut a thin slice from bottom of each half to allow each to lie flat. Place on baking sheets, hollow side up; brush tops with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until almost tender, 30-35 minutes., In a large saucepan, combine rice with contents of seasoning mix, broth, sage and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed, 23-25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute celery and onion in remaining oil until tender. Stir in cranberries, pecans and parsley. Remove from heat. Stir in rice mixture., Fill each squash half with about 1/2 cup rice mixture. Return to oven, uncovered, until rice is heated through and squash is tender, 12-15 minutes.

WILD RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cook wild rice blend according to package directions. Drain excess liquid, if necessary.
• Meanwhile, cut squash in half horizontally. Scoop out and discard seeds. Brush 2 tablespoons oil over the squash cavities and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place, cut-side down, on a baking sheet. Roast until tender and lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in dried cherries, thyme, garlic and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked rice and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Divide the rice mixture among the squash halves and sprinkle with chives and pomegranate arils, if desired.

BLACK WILD RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet and bake until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Leave the oven on at 400 degrees F.
• Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the breadcrumbs, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs begin to turn golden brown. Stir in the parsley and garlic salt. Transfer to a dish.
• Wipe the skillet clean. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and leeks until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the kale and garlic and cook until the kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, currants, soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Scoop some of the mixture into the cavity of each acorn squash half and top with the reserved breadcrumbs. Bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

BAKED ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH WILD RICE AND KALE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with olive oil. Place the squash in the oven and bake 30 minutes. Each squash should be intact but beginning to give on the side it's resting on, and soft enough to cut through. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes, until the squash has cooled slightly. Then, resting a squash on the slightly flattened side that it was sitting on in the oven, cut away the top third. You will be putting the top "cap" back on once the squash is filled, so cut it off in one neat slice. Scrape out the seeds and membranes from both pieces and set aside. Repeat for the remaining squash. Turn the oven heat down to 350 degrees. Oil a baking dish or sheet pan that can accommodate all of the squash
• Meanwhile, blanch the kale in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine and set aside. Cook the wild rice, following the directions below, and set aside
• Put the stock into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick saucepan or skillet. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, 3 to 5 minutes
• Add the arborio rice and garlic and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice, and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. Continue to add stock and stir until the rice is almost tender, about 20 minutes. The rice should still be a little chewy. Add another ladleful of stock and stir in the kale, wild rice and herbs. Stir together until the stock is just about absorbed, about 5 minutes, and add another ladleful of stock. Remove from the heat. Add pepper, taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the remaining olive oil and the Parmesan if using
• Season the surface of the acorn squash with salt, pepper and nutmeg or cayenne (if desired). Fill the hollowed-out squash with the risotto. Place the tops back on the squash and put them in the baking dish or on the sheet pan
• Bake 40 minutes, or until the squash is tender all the way through when pierced with a knife

WILD RICE, CHERRIES, APRICOTS AND CHEESY STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Squash -- Drizzle the olive oil the inside of the squash and sprinkle with sald and pepper. Place flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or even foil in a 400 degree oven, middle shelf for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Just poke with a knife and it should be tender but no falling apart. Remove from the oven so you can add the stuffing.
• Rice -- As the squash is baking, cook the rice according to the package directions. But as the rice cooks, add if your garlic and shallots, so it will cook right along with the rice. TIP: I always cook my rice in broth rather than water, so if you want to add some more flavor, rather than water, use chicken or vegetable broth.
• Finishing -- Once the rice is done, remove from the heat and stir in the butter, scallions, cherries, apricots and nuts. Then stuff the squash! I fill each squash half way, and then add a little cheese, add the rest of the rice and top with the remainder of the cheese.
• Bake -- 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. This will reheat the squash, rice, and melt the cheese.
• Serve -- ENJOY! 1 squash half per person is healthy and filling. As I mentioned, roast chicken is great with this or go lighter with a salad.

ACORN SQUASH MEDLEY

Steps:

• Halve both acorn squash and remove and discard seeds. Place upside down on microwaveable dish and cook on high for 8-10 minutes until softened. Scoop out squash leaving approximately 1/4 inch on shells to retain their shapes. Set aside. Cook sausages, cool and cut into 1/2 inch size bites. Saute thinly sliced garlic, shredded carrots and chopped peppers in olive oil for 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in spinach, mushrooms and seasonings and cook 3-4 minutes more. Remove from heat, combine with cooked rice, sausage and squash. Fill each half of the acorn shells with equal amounts of the filling. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool five minutes before serving. Enjoy.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH WILD RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
• Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet, brush 1 tablespoon of the melted butter over the tops and insides of the squash halves, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add the onion, shallots, and celery, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and stir in the rice, pecans, cranberries, salt, and pepper.
• Divide the rice filling among the roasted squash halves (about 1/2 cup for each) and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of butter over top. Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

BAKED ACORN SQUASH WITH WILD RICE MEDLEY

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Using a sharp knife, trim away a small flat slice from the bottom of each squash so it sits flat. Then, cut off the top 1/2 inch of each squash, exposing the seeds. Use a tablespoon to scrape out seeds and fibers.
• Place squash on a baking sheet, season lightly with salt and pepper, and drizzle each squash with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from oven.
• In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion sweats but does not brown, about 4 minutes.
• Add cooked wild rice and cooked white rice to the skillet and stir to combine. Add chopped pecans, dried cranberries and ricotta salata and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stuff each acorn squash with about 1/4 of stuffing mixture, packing stuffing into squash cavity and mounding it slightly. Drizzle each squash with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and bake until squash is tender and stuffing browns slightly, about 40 minutes.