Squash With Wild Rice and Chanterelle Stuffing

Squash With Wild Rice and Chanterelle Stuffing

Savory and complex, this meat-free main course will stun your holiday guests.

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Serves: 6
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If you’d like to make a colorful stuffed winter squash the centerpiece and main dish of your vegetarian Thanksgiving, choose a large, meaty pumpkin—Boston marrow squash, turban squash, Hubbard squash, banana squash, or the pale blue-grey New Zealand squash, which is my favorite. For a side dish, stuff hollowed-out halves of acorn, butternut, or buttercup squash, or even small pumpkins. If you can’t find chanterelles, use fresh shiitakes, lobster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, or crimini mushrooms. 

Serves 6

What you need:

1 medium-large winter squash (6 to 8 pounds)
3-1/2 cup light vegetarian broth
1-1/2 cup wild rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups sliced cleaned chanterelles
1 cup chopped scallions or leeks
1 cup minced onion
4 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tablespoons oat flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-1/2 cups water

 

What you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a “lid” off the top of the squash and scoop out the seeds, scraping the interior well. squash in a baking pan, with the lid on loosely, and bake for 1 hour, then check for tenderness. If the squash isn’t done, cook a bit longer.
  2. In a medium pot over high heat, bring broth to a boil. Wash wild rice in a colander under running water. When broth boils, add washed wild rice, return to a boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for about 55 minutes, or until tender.
  3. While wild rice cooks, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Sauté the mushrooms, green onions, celery, and onions until tender and slightly browned. Add cooked wild rice, cranberries, nuts, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Pack stuffing into cooked squash and place in a shallow baking pan. Bake, loosely covered, for 45 to 60 minutes.
  4. In a heavy saucepan over high heat, whisk nutritional yeast and flours together until they smell toasty. Remove from heat briefly to whisk in water, soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir constantly over high heat until gravy thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 5 minutes. Serve over hot stuffed squash.