Stuffed Squash With Bacon Dates And Sage Food

SQUASH STUFFED WITH DATES AND ONION

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cook and stir bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon and discard most of the drippings, leaving about 2 teaspoons bacon drippings in the skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Cook and stir onion in the hot drippings until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir cooked bacon, dates, oregano, and basil into onion; add chicken stock to thin the filling.
• Cut the top and stem from the squash, jack o'lantern-style, and scoop out seeds and stringy pulp. Cut out and discard small button at the bottom of the squash. Stuff the date filling into the cavity and replace the top. Set squash into a baking dish, pour in 1/2 inch of water, and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Test for doneness by removing top and inserting a thin, sharp knife into the flesh at the bottom. Slice squash into wedges to serve.

STUFFED SQUASH WITH BACON, DATES AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large casserole pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Set aside.
• Cut squashes in half. Use a spoon to scrape the seed pulp out of the squashes. If necessary, cut 1/4 inch off the bottom of the squash halves to help them stand upright without falling over. Place the squash cut side up on the foil and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until just cooked through on both sides, working in batches if necessary. Remove from the pan, allow to cool slightly and then dice.
• Saute the onion and garlic in the rendered fat until softened and transparent, about 8 minutes. Add the rice, chicken stock, dates, cinnamon, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg and diced bacon. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring every few minutes.
• Add the sage and remove from heat. Gently spoon the stuffing into the squash. Spoon any leftover stuffing around the squash in the pan, then pour the water into the pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast until the squash flesh is tender and the rice is cooked through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH BACON AND CRISPY SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle liberally with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss and roast until soft and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• Place the diced bacon in a medium nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Cook until crispy and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place in a medium bowl lined with a paper towel.
• Add the pasta and a generous amount of salt to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
• Add the sage leaves to the rendered bacon fat in the skillet, return to medium heat, and fry until the leaves are crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer the leaves to a small plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the reserved bacon fat and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the goat cheese and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in the cream, Parmesan, mustard, nutmeg, cayenne and black pepper to taste. Keep warm on low heat.
• Once the pasta is drained, add it to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss to coat, then add the squash and bacon. Crumble in half of the fried sage leaves. Toss and add more salt to taste. If the mixture looks dry, add some of the remaining cooking water. Scrape the pasta into a serving bowl and top with the remaining whole sage leaves, a sprinkle of black pepper and some Parmesan.