A yummy vegetarian entree for my veggie witch friends this Yule!
3 good-sized acorn squash
4 - 6 tbsp butter or margarine
1 celery stalk, strings removed, diced
1 cup cubed squash (pumpkin, acorn, butternut, hubbard, or kabocha)
3 - 4 cups stale French or country bread, in bite-sized pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten (OPTIONAL)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh sage (or 1 - 2 tbsp dried sage leaf)
1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups (or more) vegetable broth, salted
1 cup (or more) hot apple cider or sweet white wine (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Wash the whole acorn squash and cut them into halves lengthwise. (This will make six bowls.) Remove the seeds and stringy stuff and set aside the cleaned acorn halves.
In a heavy skillet, heat the butter or margarine. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, cubed squash, and mushrooms. Saute this mixture over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender.
In a large bowl, mix the bread pieces, (eggs, if desired) parsley, sage, and chopped nuts. Add the sauteed vegetables to the bread mixture and stir to mix thoroughly, then add the vegetable broth and salt to taste. Continue to mix, squishing with your hands if you like, until the stuffing is very moist and soft.
Mount the stuffing into the squash halves, place the stuffed squash bowls on a large baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake until the squash is tender and the stuffing is done (about 1 hour).
Alternative: Place the stuffed squash in a baking dish into which you have poured a cup or more of hot apple cider or sweet white wine, leave halves uncovered, and baste every 15 minutes with pan juices until done.
Serve hot. Makes 6 stuffed squash bowls.
[Recipe Source: Witch in the Kitchen, Cait Johnson, Destiny Books, 2001.]