stuffed butternut squash
We ate stuffed butternut squash last night with wild rice, smoked turkey and dried cranberries. This dish is easy to make, but it requires a number of steps to make the dish. It is always impressive and is tasty, filling, and healthy. Vegetarians could substitute toasted hazelnuts or perhaps smoked tofu for the turkey.
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice, Smoked Turkey and Cranberries
Serves 4.
- 4 butternut squash.
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil or butter
- 1 cup cooked wild rice, or other grain
- 1/4 lb precooked smoked turkey, shredded
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries aka Craisins
- 1/2 tsp rubbed sage or fresh sage leaves
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 4 tbsp or so of crumbled feta
How to cook wild rice:
Wild rice can be bitter, so that is why the water is changed so often in my method of cooking wild rice that I learned while working at Katrina's.
Cover rice in pot with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil. Drain, then refill with water and bring to a boil again. Do this 5 times and after the final draining, your rice is ready. If you have one of those wild rice/regular rice mixes, cook according to the instructions.
Bake Squash
Heat the oven to 375. Halve the squash the long way, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Bake or nuke squash till soft enough to scoop out the innards. Scoop out squash but leave a good half inch thick wall of squash. Reserve the scooped squash for the filling.
Prepare Filling
Saute onion and celery, chopped fine, in oil or butter till soft and translucent. Toss in some sage, thyme, dried cranberries (1/4 cup or so), shredded smoked turkey (1/4 lb or so), and the squash innards. Heat until warmed through, and correct the seasoning if necessary.
Assemble the final product
Heat the broiler. Spoon the filling into the squash halves and sprinkle feta on top. Place under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the feta, and serve.
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