We are currently dreaming up some new vegetarian Thanksgiving 2021 recipes, but this is one of our old favorites. It looks so pretty on the table, and it's fairly easy to put together ahead of the holiday.
Every year, we want to come up with a dish that will be the center of attention at the Thansgiving table. This recipe was featured in our first cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian (Harper Horizon, 2013). A chanterelle mushroom and dried apricot stuffing is in the middle of scalloped slices of acorn squash, and it’s topped with what we call Miracle Mushroom Gravy. This recipe was featured HERE on The New York Times Well blog in the piece “Southern Flavors on a Vegetarian Table” by Tara Parker-Pope. Years later, we still make this dish for our family every Thanksgiving.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced white onion, about 1 small
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 cup white wine, like Pinot Grigio
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, torn into strips
1/4 cup finely diced dried apricots
Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper, to taste
2 cups brioche or white bread, torn into pieces
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
Miracle Mushroom Gravy
Serves 2-4
Directions
Chanterelle and Apricot Stuffed Acorn Squash
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then sauté the celery, onion and bouillon cube until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated.
2. Add the chanterelles and apricots to the pan and warm through. Add salt and pepper. Chill the mushroom mixture thoroughly. In a large bowl, mix the bread, eggs and the cooled vegetable mixture.
3. Using a sharp kitchen knife (and plenty of caution), trim the stem end off of the squash and cut the squash into 3/4 inch rings. You should be able to get 4 rings out of a large acorn squash. Discard the stem end and bottom piece. Using a spoon, scrape the seeds and membrane out of the squash and discard. Lay the squash rings out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle slices of squash with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove squash from the oven and press the mushroom and apricot stuffing into the center of each squash ring. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the stuffing has set and started to brown. Garnish with Miracle Mushroom Gravy.
