STUFFED SQUASH

Jason brought this to our house once for a potluck, and it is truly delicious. He tells us that it is a family tradition from his Penobscot Tribe in Maine. They often use pumpkins, but you can use almost any squash with a large seed cavity.

The ones that are long, like a banana squash work well, but a large acorn squash would work also.You will have to judge for yourself how much stuffing is needed to fill the cavity. I will list about the amount needed for a 12 inch long banana type squash. If you have made too much stuffing, put it in a pan and bake it as a side dish.

Ingredients

1 pkg Bread stuffing, small
1 pkg Cornbread stuffing, small
1 cup Cooked rice, use any combination of white, brown and wild rice mixed
1 cup Raisins
1/4-1/2cup Pine nuts
1 ea Small onion, finely diced
stk Butter, margarine or oil
2 cup Hot broth or water. Use amount called for on the stuffing package. (I use chicken broth.)
Salt and pepper to taste
A little thyme, sage or other herb that you like


Directions

Cook the rice. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, add the butter and onion and stir until the onion becomes translucent. Add the broth and heat until the mixture is fairly warm and set aside.

Cut one end only off of the squash and carefully scrape out the seeds, (Pumpkin seeds are very good washed, dried and roasted in the oven).

Empty both packages of stuffing, the rice, salt and pepper, the herbs, pine nutsand the raisins into a large bowl. Slowly add the broth, a few tablespoons at a time while stirring gently, until the dressing feels moist but is not wet.

Place the stuffing in the squash. Do not pack too tightly as the stuffing will absorb some moisture from the squash and will expand while baking. Place the cut end back on the squash and secure it with tooth picks. Bake at 350 degrees until the squash is tender.

When done, let the squash set for a few minutes before slicing into rings for serving. This is a real pretty dish, and may be served with butter, gravy or just plain. For a real treat, serve it with turkey or ham and watch the kids go nuts!

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