This fall dish featuring fruit, quinoa and wild rice would be a lovely addition to the Thanksgiving table.
Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 40 minutes
Start to Finish: 1 hour, 35 minutes
For this recipe you’ll need:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Cut the acorn squash in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds. Trim just a bit off the bottoms so the squash has a flat surface to stand on once you are ready to stuff and serve them.
Season the hollow inside of the squash with salt and pepper to taste. Place the squash, hollow side down, on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Roast until knife tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Prepare the stuffing while the squash is roasting. Place the wild rice, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the rice, covered, until the grains have burst open, about 45 minutes. Drain any excess water and set aside.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the quinoa pilaf. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Gently sauté the leeks and celery until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
Stir in the cranberries, apricots and dried sage to the pan. Mix in the quinoa and stir until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all of the stock.
Turn off the heat, and allow quinoa to rest, covered, for 5 additional minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, transfer to a bowl and mix in the cooked wild rice. Fold in the pecans, orange juice and fresh sage, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble the dish, turn the roasted squash halves hollow-side-up, and scoop the stuffing into the cavities. Return the stuffed squash to the oven, and bake for about 15 minutes or until hot.