Roasted Scarlet Kabocha Stuffed with Lacinato, Wild Rice, Shiitakes, and Bacon

Make this with wild rice, or if you have other leftover grains, you can use those. The flavor of wild rice goes perfectly with other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium/large Scarlet Kabocha (or other Japanese winter squash), stem removed, halved, seeded, oiled and seasoned with cinnamon, garlic, salt and pepper

1 bunch lacinato or Scotch kale, stemmed and torn into small bits, and washed and drained

½ brown onion, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 heaping cups cooked wild rice (see instructions on package)*, room temperature

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut into ¼-inch dice

2 slices thick cut bacon, halved lengthwise and cut ¼-inch wide

Salt and pepper to taste

Light olive or neutral flavored oil as needed

1-2 tablespoons butter

Cinnamon as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

½ a juicy orange for squeezing

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 400°F. After cutting the squash in half through the stem, before oiling the inside, use a short sharp knife to score the outside of the squash halfway between the edges. After the squash is cooked, this will allow the squash to be evenly and cleanly divided into quarters. Cook the squash, cut side down, after seasoning it with cinnamon, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes or until it starts to get tender. At this point, pull it from the oven, use a sharp thin bladed knife to cut along the score and divide the squash. Carefully, turn over the squash and return it to the oven.

While the squash cooks, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, cook the bacon gently until crisp, moving it as needed to crisp it all over. Use a slotted spoon to remove it when done, and pour off all but a ½ tablespoon of fat. Add oil to ensure the pan is well filmed and swirl the pan to mix the oil with the fat. Add the kale and use tongs to turn it in the fat so it is coated. Cook until it wilts. Season with pepper and cook a minute or two longer. Using tongs, remove the kale from the pan, allowing moisture to drain off. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Add a little oil to ensure the pan is filmed. Add the onions, tossing to coat, season with a little salt, and sauté until tender, trying to keep the onions from taking much color.

Add the mushrooms to the pan, and toss to coat with oil. If they seem dry, add a little oil, or if you have a spritzer, use that. Cook for a few minutes, coloring the mushrooms all over. Add a couple ounces of water and put a top on the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then check the pan. Taste a mushroom. It should be tender with a little chew to it, and the color should be dark without being crisp or burnt.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant and softening. While it cooks, put the wild rice in a large bowl and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss with your fingers, coating the grains with the oil. When the garlic is fragrant and softened, add the butter to the pan. Use both tablespoons if the rice seems like it is dry. Let the butter melt and when it starts to smell nutty, add the wild rice. Use a wooden spatula to mix the rice into everything else in the pan. Cook until hot.

Add the kale and bacon to the pan and stir to combine all the ingredients. Heat through, then season if needed. Turn heat to low.

At this point the squash should have been turned over and returned to the oven for 5-10 minutes, enough time to brown a little. Pull from the oven and use a couple spoons to load the squash quarters with the kale wild rice mixture. One spoon is for scooping, the other for keeping things in place while loading the squash quarters. Return to the oven.

Cook 5-10 minutes, until the “stuffing” is very hot and dried out a little. Remove to plates or a platter and squeeze the orange half over the quarters of the stuffed squash for a final zip of flavor. Serve hot.

Chef’s Notes: *If you have other cooked grains in the refrigerator or freezer such as barley, farro, quinoa, brown rice, or wheat berries, use some of them with the wild rice, or skip the wild rice and just use the other stuff. For a twist on this dish, cut the squash into cubes after peeling some strips of skin off, the roast it and simply toss the squash cubes with the grains and green. Different in appearance, but still tastes great.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen