Acorn Squash with Wild Rice & Mushroom Stuffing

These were rather good, but I must say that acorn squash take a ridiculous amount of time to cook. I actually baked mine at 375°F to start with and after an hour they were not even close. So I'm calling for you to bake them at a hotter temperature, but it's hard to be precise about how long it will take since I didn't actually cook them at that temperature to start with. It will also vary a bit depending on how large and how thick they are. I wonder if mine took a bit longer than I expected because this was such a dry year and they were low in moisture; all kinds of factors come into cooking times.

The stuffing is a little salty on it's own; you should be careful to mash it into the squash as you eat it to get just the right balance. 

4 to 8 servings
1 hour 45 minutes - 45 minutes prep time

Pre-Cook the Wild Rice & Squash:
1/2 cup raw wild rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 large acorn squash
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

Put the wild rice into a rice-cooker with the salt and water. Turn on and cook until done.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and loose strings. Rub them with the oil, and place them face up in a baking tray. Bake until there is only slight resistance when pierced with a fork; should be about 40 minutes to an hour.

Make the Seasoning Mix:
2 tablespoons chick pea flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme OR savory
1/4 cup water

Measure everything but the water into a small bowl and mix until well blended. Add the water, a little at a time, and stir it in until you have a smooth sauce.

Make the Filling & Stuff the Squash:
4 large shallots
1 large stalk of celery
6 to 8 large button mushrooms
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

Peel and chop the shallots. Wash, trim, and chop the celery. Clean, trim, and chop the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the vegetables until softened and slightly browned, stirring frequently. Mix in the cooked wild rice for the last few minutes of cooking.

When the squash is about 80% cooked (as described above) divide the filling between the four half squash pieces. Divide the seasoning mix evenly between the squash, drizzling over the filling.Add enough water to the pan the squash are in to cover the bottom of it by about 1/4".

Return the squash pieces to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes or so, until the filling is lightly browned and the squash is completely tender. Cover with a tea-towel and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

If you decide you have put the filling in too early, and the squash needs more time to bake, you may wish to add a bit more water to the pan, and cover the squash with foil to keep the filling from drying out.





Last year at this time I made Lo-Bak Pancakes.

Posted in: Ontario Food