Stuffed Acorn Squash

With Sausage, Apples, Pecans, & Wild Rice

"It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth."

George Burns

I don't drink a whole lot any more. Not that I ever really drank a lot exactly, but I have definitely cut down. It's expensive, and it's not good for you. I used to drink wine a few times a week, telling myself that doctors say its good for your heart. But to be honest, I don't really buy that. And so, I drink about 1-2 times a month these days. And even then, it's like a glass of wine or a beer. Nothing major. Except for when Taylor comes over. 

Okay, we don't drink every time she comes over, but once in a while she calls me up and asks if I want to have a {insert dorky sci-fi series or movie from the 1980's} marathon and dinner. I know that's code for "Life is kicking my butt right now, and it's been a long couple of months, and I really think we ought to drink some alcohol and vent all the judgemental, totally unreasonable thoughts we've been bottling up since the last time we binged". And that is totally cool with me, those nights are therapeutic and totally necessary. So, last night we had a Star Wars marathon, complete with pizza, rum, and coke (served in our very own Star Wars themed cups - don't judge us). My head might be a little worse for wear right now, but it was much needed and awesome as usual. 

Something I love about these Alex-Taylor nights, that I feel I just have to share, is the over-the-top drunk talk. I imagine most people when they drink probably sit around watching movies and talking about, um... er - okay, I fess. I have no idea what other people talk about. Regardless, what we do is invariably get distracted from Star Wars (or whatever it may be at the time) and start having deep discussions about philosophy and literature. Like last night - after the rum had seriously started to go to our heads - we stumbled out into the living room and told B that we needed the TV because we were going to watch Romeo and Juliet. 

This one. Yeah, that's Leonardo DiCaprio.

Romeo and Juliet is a personal all-time fav of our's, so of course we had to dissect it to death while we watched. We spent more than two hours discussing the recurring themes in Shakespeare's earlier plays, how Romeo and Juliet blurs the boundaries between the traditional comedies and tragedies, and what aspects of society is each character representing. The death of my beloved Mercutio alone took us at least twenty minutes to discuss. Seriously, that's one loaded character. 

Anyway, I guess this was not really anything to do with books or food, but since much of what we discussed during the night involved Shakespeare and post-Elizabethan English literature, I thought I could get away with cramming it in there. It was nice to pick apart an old favourite again, and for those of you who may not be familiar with the play (incidentally, I heard caves are nice. Do you recommend them?) you really ought to give this adaptation a watch. The imagery and the racial elements add a whole new level to an already loaded play - I could go on for volumes about Tybalt, and the Friar's church, and the choir.. but I digress. I will leave it here for today. 

On a slightly different note, for all you rum-lovers out there, I highly recommend this little gem we picked up in Nicaragua.

We didn't drink all that.

We first picked up a bottle of Flor de Cana in Moyogalpa, Ometepe on Taylor's 22nd birthday. I had intended to take her out for a drink, but when we crossed the street to visit the local bar, we were way too creeped out by the dozen or so men (and only men) who all turned to stare silently at us as we walked in the door. So yeah, we chickened out and bought a bottle of Coke, some plastic cups, some take-out pasta, and a bottle of Flora de Cana to enjoy in our hotel room (by the light of our headlamps, as the rolling blackouts had struck again). We were both stoked to find out that they do indeed sell it in Canada, and believe me it is worth a try. 

Now onto the main dish, so to speak. 

Last week I decided I was in such a fall mood with my new birthday boots and all bundled up in scarves and sweaters that I was going to make a meal that just oozed fall. Or Autumn, if you want to be all proper. I had never made stuffed squash before but it really didn't seem like rocket science, so I decided to wing it. I toyed with the idea of making it vegetarian (you could) or using turkey (I almost did) but ended up deciding on spicy ground sausage. I think next time I'll try something else, but the sausage turned out very well this time. If you don't want the stuffing to be so spicy, just be sure to buy the mild version of the sausage. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with acorn squash, I have included a step-by-step guide of how to roast them. You can eat the skin, just FYI, and the flavour of the flesh is comparable to the butternut variety, although quite a bit less rich and a touch more nutty. The skin can be a little bit bitter, so it's important that the stuffing has lots of flavour to counter that. I added sweet green apples to sort of level it out. 

These are easy enough for a weeknight dinner at home, but also fancy-looking enough to serve at your next dinner party. The beautiful colours of the squash will not fail to impress, and one half of a squash is a pretty good serving size for one person. Give it a go and you'll see what I mean - these really do taste like fall. 

For six servings, you will need...

3 acorn squash, halved and seeded

1.5 cups wild rice blend, cooked in broth and fluffed with a fork

1 450g package ground italian sausage

2 tbs olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 large white or cremini mushrooms, chopped

3 fresh sage leaves, minced

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning blend

1 tsp spanish paprika

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped

1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Salt and pepper

Grated parmesan cheese for topping

I used PC brand rice blend. You could use plain wild rice, brown rice, or even quinoa for this recipe if you preferred.

First of all, when you are choosing your squash, try to pick three that are fairly uniform in size and are not too big or too small. Most squash will be around the same size, but avoid any that are teeny or huge - that will make cooking time and portioning awkward later on. 

This is a pretty good size - I included my arm and hand to give you some perspective.

Got your squash? Good! Now preheat the oven to 400F. Make sure your oven racks are very clean. Wash the squash (sqwash?) well with soap and water if necessary, but be sure to rinse it thoroughly and dry well. Lay on a flat surface and slice in half lengthwise.

Now using a large metal spoon, remove all the seeds and 'guts' by scraping the inside of the squash like you would a pumpkin or papaya. Save the seeds if you wish for roasting later (they will need to be rinsed, dried, then baked).

Once that's done, open up the preheated oven and lay the squash halves flesh side down (skin side up) directly on the metal racks. You might smell a little bit of burning if a little bit of liquid drips onto the burner, but it should burn itself out and won't smoke. 

Allow to bake like this for about twenty minutes, then flip and bake on the other side. 

You should have some lovely grill marks at this point. The squash should bake upside down like this for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until soft enough to spear with a fork. Once they are done, remove carefully with tongs and allow to cool slightly on a cutting board or clean countertop. In the meantime, you can start getting your stuffing ready. 

I used Johnsonville brand sausage, but any kind would do. 

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and allow to cook for about two minutes, stirring often. 

Add the sausage meat and stir well. Allow to cook for about ten minutes, or until sausage is cooked through completely. Add the mushrooms and saute for another two or three minutes. 

Add the remaining herbs, spices, including salt and pepper and the parmesan cheese. Reduce heat and stir well to combine. 

Add the diced apple, pecans, cranberries, and cooked wild rice. Mix well, remove from heat, and set aside. 

Turn the oven up to broil. The squash should be cooled sufficiently by now. Using a metal spoon again, scrape out about a tablespoon or two's worth of the squash flesh from where you scraped the seeds earlier. Put the scraped out flesh into the pan with the stuffing mixture and mix well. 

Now, holding the cooled squash in one hand, spoon some of the mixture into the hollowed out squash until it is heaped and full, but will not spill out everywhere. Press it down and try to get as much in there as possible. 

Lay face up in a pan or on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and bake for about ten minutes or so, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. 

Once melted, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve hot and top with fresh cracked black pepper. 

Serve with veggies or fresh salad, or as a great all-in-one lunch the next day.