February 2020: Recipe Roundup

FLUFFY CRANBERRY PUDDING WITH CRANBERRY MAPLE SAUCE

FOR PUDDING:
      3    cups cranberry juice
    ½    cup maple syrup
    ½    cup cream of wheat, uncooked

FOR SAUCE:
      1    cup fresh cranberries
    ½    cup maple syrup
    ½    cup water
    ⅛    tsp. ground dried spicebush berries or allspice, optional

PUDDING – In a medium-sized saucepan, bring cranberry juice and syrup to a boil over medium heat. Gradually add cream of wheat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and beat for 10 minutes, until pudding has tripled in volume. Serve warm or chilled. Top with cranberry maple sauce, if desired.

SAUCE – In a saucepan, combine cranberries, maple syrup and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for about 10-15 minutes, until berries have burst and sauce has thickened. Stir in spicebush berry or allspice, if desired. Cool and serve at room temperature. Sauce is best when made several hours in advance, so that flavors blend nicely.

YIELD: 6 (1/2 cup) servings pudding and 1 cup sauce

STUFFED SQUASH WITH BISON, APPLE AND WILD RICE

 2¼    cups water
   ¾    cup wild rice
     4    delicata squash (2 ½-3 lbs.)*
     1    T. olive oil, plus more for brushing
     1    yellow onion, diced
     1    lb. ground bison
     1    apple, cored and diced
     1    T. dried thyme
     1    T. garlic powder
     2    tsp. dried oregano
           Salt and pepper, to taste
   ¾    cup shredded cheese
           Chopped green onion and roasted squash seeds, for garnish
           *Other small winter squash, like acorn or buttercup, may be used.

Bring water to boil, add wild rice, cover and simmer for 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the squash and remove the seeds (saving to roast and use as garnish, if desired). Rub the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is cooked through and tender.

While squash is roasting, dice onion and caramelize in olive oil in a large skillet. (This may take over 30 minutes; onions should be a golden brown.) Add the ground bison, apple, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the caramelized onions and sauté until the bison is cooked completely and the apples have softened a bit. Cover and keep warm.

When the squash has cooked, scoop out some of the squash, making sure to keep the shell (skin) intact. Put squash shells back on baking sheet.

Add the removed squash and cooked wild rice to the bison mixture. Stuff each squash half with the mixture, sprinkling each with 2 T. shredded cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped green onions and roasted squash seeds, if desired.

YIELD: 8 squash halves

TO ROAST SQUASH SEEDS: Pick seeds out of pulp, rinse in water, drain and pat dry. Toss with ½ T. olive oil and salt, to taste. Bake in single layer on baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir during cooking time.