Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, cut in half and seeds removed
1 cup wild rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup raisins and/or
1/2 cup currants
grated zest from 1 orange
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice honey or maple syrup, to taste
fresh or dried sage, to taste
salt, to taste
Optional:
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Directions:
- Gather all the ingredients and equipment. Wash the produce and prepare it as detailed in the ingredients list. Pre heat the oven to 375° F.
- Place the two halves of butternut squash on a baking sheet with a little bit of water. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is very tender. Take it out and set aside to cool.
- Cook the wild rice using suggested method on packaging.
- While the rice and squash are cooking, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions and sauté over medium high heat until they are soft – about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fennel. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through. Add the vinegar and simmer until the pan is dry.
- Then, in a large bowl, combine the onion/fennel mixture with the cooked rice. Add the raisins and/or currants, pine nuts, orange zest, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, sage, and salt and pepper and mix well. Add more of less of any of these ingredients to taste.
- When the squash is cool, scoop out flesh, mash it and mix with a little honey or maple syrup if you would like. Serve the rice over a bed of butternut squash.