Twice-baked Winter Squash
Like many of Dan’s recipes, it may start as a recipe that he has found online but he adds his own spin virtually making the recipe his own.
Servings 2 people
Ingredients
- 1 whole squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti, etc.) halved
- 1/2 lb Italian pork sausage, remove casing if in links or chicken sausage
- 1/2 cup Red onion chopped
- 2 bulbs shallots chopped
- 1 cup Kale (or spinach or Swiss chard, or combination) coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese shredded, or Pecorino Romagna
- 4 T Cooking oil (olive oil vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.) divided
- 2 T Butter unsalted softened, divided
- 1 t Rosemary double or more for fresh herbs
- 1 t Sage double or more for fresh herbs
- 1 t french thyme double or more for fresh herbs
- 1 T Anise seeds crushed or ground
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 T Smoked paprika Spanish
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Halve the squash. Remove seeds with a spoon. Butter the cut face and interior with half the butter. Place cut side down on parchment paper in a cookie sheet or similar oven-proof pan. Place in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the squash begins to soften. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- 2. If including Pearled barley, heat chicken stock in sauce pan, add barley and cook until stock is absorbed—20-30 minutes.
- 3. Brown sausage in small amount of cooking oil 7-12 minutes. Add ½ of herbs and salt and pepper to sausage as it browns.
- 4. Toast Pine nuts on small oven-proof pan—until slightly browned and fragrant.
- 5. Saute onions, bell peppers in cooking oil in saute pan until onion is translucent—5-10 minutes. Saute garlic in same pan last 2 minutes until fragrant. Do not brown.
- 6. Saute mushrooms, if using, 7-10 minutes in butter.
- 7. Scoop squash halves enough to leave some structure to the squash skins—squash shell walls should be ½ inch or more. Put squash into a large bowl and mix well with all other ingredients, including ½ of the cheese.
- 8. Scoop squash mixture as possible into squash shells and mound above the tops of the shells. Spread remaining cheese over the top of the mounded mixture.
- 9. Return stuffed squash to oven. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese topping is melted and beginning to brown.
- 10. Finish with chopped parsley, if using, and/or sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve hot.
Notes
Optional ingredients
- ½ C Pearled barley
- ½ C Chicken stock or broth
- ¼ C Red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 C Portobello mushrooms, chopped
- ¼ C Currents
- 1 Tsp Cumin, crushed or ground
- ¼ C Fresh parsley, chopped