Vegetarian Stuffed Acron Squash for Thanksgiving

Growing up in the South, most of the dishes that I learned to cook were either flavored with meat or cooked in bacon grease. Neither of these things is exactly vegetarian! When I married my husband, I had to learn how to cook vegetarian dishes because both his mother and his sister are vegetarian. All of our holiday meals need to be versatile and enjoyable for both meat eaters and vegetarians. We have experimented and now all of our dishes for Thanksgiving are vegetarian friendly except for the turkey and ham! One of my mother in law's favorite dishes is Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Curried Rice Pilaf

1 ½ lb acorn squash

olive oil

3 Tablespoons butter

3 shallots, minced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

½ cup mixed nuts

¼ cup raisins

1 cup rice

2 cups vegetable stock

1 Tablespoon curry powder

3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Carefully cut off the top of the acorn squash and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and rub the inside of the squash with oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Secure the top of the squash back on with a toothpick and roast for about 20 minutes, until tender but not cooked completely. Remove the squash from the oven and set it aside to cool while preparing the filling.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots and garlic. Sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes and add the curry powder. Cook for about 3 more minutes until the aroma fills the room. Add the vegetable stock and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the rice, lower the heat and cover. Simmer until all of the stock is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, scoop out the flesh of the squash, leaving at least ¼ to ½ inch of rind all around. Be careful not to poke holes in the rind. Rough chop the squash flesh and mix with the raisins and nuts. When the rice is done, fold in the squash mixture and the chopped cilantro.

Pack the rice mixture into the hollowed out squash, replace the squash top and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Carefully remove squash from the baking pan and place onto a serving plate. To serve, guests can scoop the filling onto their plate. When the filling is gone, the rest of the squash flesh can be eaten, mashed with butter and salt and pepper. It makes a nice second dish for anyone who loves acorn squash! The presentation is very festive for Thanksgiving