mulberryshoots

Last week, I saw a photo of a stuffed acorn squash recipe that looked promising. The only reservation I had as I selected a medium size squash was how to cut it crosswise into thick rings.

And it wasn’t easy either, I would caution you. First, I cooked a packet of Minnesota wild rice in a pan along with a handful of golden raisins. Alongside, I sauteed fresh mushroom pieces with some diced red onion. Once the rice was cooked, I thought it was a little too wet and sauteed it (like fried rice) with the mushroom onion mix until the moisture was absorbed.

Cutting the acorn squash lengthwise required a sharp weighty bread knife, alternating with a sharp-pointed slicing knife. Between the two of them, I managed to make 1-inch slices, cleaning out the seeds. On a baking sheet, I added a little spring water to the aluminum foil in the pan before placing the squash slices in a 400 degree oven. Forty-five minutes later, I melted some butter, added it to brown sugar and glazed the tops of the squash, letting it cook 15 minutes longer. By this step, the acorn squash was cooked through before adding rice to it.

When cooled, I poured off any residual water in the baking pan, and scooped a handful of the wild rice mushroom mixture into each opening. I brushed the edges of the squash with the brown sugar/butter glaze.

Before serving, I’ll pop the stuffed squash into a 375 degree oven for another 20-30 minutes. Along with the squash, I’m baking a batch of Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits (they’re handy to have in the fridge for meals like this.)

We just enjoyed this supper – a new dish for us, and it was really delicious! We’re fans of golden raisins and they were plumped up from being cooked with the wild rice. I ate the peel of the squash and G. ate the squash from the inside out – but we both agreed it was really tasty! A keeper!