Farro and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Fall is squash season, and although I love using all kinds of squash as side dishes, sometimes I let them take a starring role, as in this stuffed acorn squash recipe that makes a great main dish. I love a good bread or rice stuffing, but wanted to give farro a try this time, adding some sausage to give it a little extra oomph. If you’re a vegetarian, you could easily omit the sausage and it would still taste delicious. The recipe contains a number of steps, but if you plan well, you can make it all ahead of time and place it in the oven just before dinner. Start by roasting the squash in the oven, let it cool slightly, then scoop out the cooked squash.

Cut the squash into large chunks.

Add the chunks of squash to the cooked farro, sausage and cheeses.

Spoon the stuffing back into the squash.Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top. If you have more stuffing than will fit into the two halves (and most likely you will), butter a small casserole and place the stuffing inside.

Bake for about a half hour, then turn on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top nicely. Be careful, it will burn easily!

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Farro and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 large acorn squash
• salt, pepper
• a few tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 links Italian sausage
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, minced
• 1/2 cup farro
• 1 cup water
• 1 egg, beaten lightly
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• a couple of leaves of minced fresh sage
• a small amount of minced parsley

Instructions

1. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, rub the cut ends with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Place in a 350 degree oven, covered with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until tender.
3. Let the squash cool.
4. Bring the water to a boil, add the farro and a pinch of salt.
5. Cover with a lid, and let simmer on low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
6. Let the farro come to room temperature.
7. Take the casings off the sausage and break up the sausage into bits, cooking in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
8. Add the minced onion and minced celery, and cook until softened,
9. Scrape the cooked squash from the interior of the squash, cutting into large pieces.
10. To the cooked and cooled farro, add the squash, the cooked sausage, onion and celery, the beaten egg, the parmesan cheese and most of the mozzarella cheese, keeping some aside to sprinkle on top. Season with salt, pepper and the minced parsley.
11. Mix thoroughly, then stuff back into the squash.
12. You will have more than will fit into the squash, so butter a small casserole and place the remaining stuffing inside,
13. Sprinkle more mozzarella cheese on top.
14. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
15. At the end of 30 minutes, turn on the broiler for a few minutes to allow for greater browning on top, but keep an eye on it since it can burn easily,.

3.5.3251

 

Piccolo Farrotto

If you're not already familiar with Anson Mills, you should be. I first heard of them on a trip to Charleston last year when I bought a package of grits at a farmers' market there. It's a company founded on the premise of bringing quality flavors from heritage grains back to the forefront of American palates.

I was really impressed when I first tried their grits last year and wrote a post about shrimp 'n grits here. In the last few months I've have had the opportunity to try several other of Anson Mills' products, due to a generous gift sent to us by our friends Ken and Cathy, who live in South Carolina. The package contained everything from white rice, to red beans to polenta. Even the white rice, which you'd think would be standard fare, was exceptionally good. 

I was really curious to try the farro piccolo, which looks like a stubbier version of farro. Most farro sold commercially has been "pearled," reducing its cooking time. The trouble is, it also removes the bran layer, where all the flavor is, leaving nothing but pure starch. Anson Mills does not remove the bran layer, but in order to speed up cooking time (which can take up two hours for farro), it suggests a very clever technique, which I followed. You simply place the grains in a food processor and pulse for a few minute, in order to crack the bran layer. 

It works beautifully, but don't expect the farro to cook as quickly as minute rice. It will still take from 45 minutes to an hour to cook, but it's so worth the effort to achieve the creamy, flavorful dish you'll want to eat over and over. 

Anson Mills' website has lots of recipes using their products and I adapted one of them here, adding a few ingredients of my own, including part of this round zucchini from my garden. 

Mince everything and sauté in some butter and olive oil.

I had some roasted red pepper so I added that in too.

I don't have a photo to show you of the grains being stirred in, but if you've ever made risotto, you'll cook it similar to that, adding the grains and some broth, a little at a time.

 As a reward for your patience, you'll end up with a hearty, delicious and packed-with-nutrients-meal that tastes nothing like the "pearled" farro in supermarkets. It's so good, you'll wish you had an endless bowl.

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Piccolo Farrotto

(recipe adapted from Anson Mills)

printable recipe here





6 ounces (1 cup) Anson Mills Farro Piccolo

1 quart chicken stock (or beef stock or vegetable stock)

1.25 ounces (2 1/2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter

2 T. olive oil

1 large shallot, minced (3 tablespoons)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 bay leaf

1/3 cup finely diced celery

1/3 cup finely diced carrot

1/2 cup finely diced zucchini

1/4 cup roasted red pepper, cut into bits

2 ounces (1/2 cup) finely grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. 
   
   1. 
      
      
      
      
      
      Turn the farro into a food processor and give it ten 1-second pulses to crack some of the bran that encases the grains. Transfer it to a small bowl.
      
      
   
   
   2.   
      
      Bring the stock to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and keep the stock just below a simmer as you cook the farro. If you need more liquid at the end, use hot water.
      
      
   
   
   
   
   
   3. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 3- or 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery and zucchini and cook until softened somewhat. They will continue to cook with the farro, so don't cook them fully now. Add the red pepper and the farro, increase the heat to medium, and stir until the grains are hot and coated with butter, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and simmer until reduced to a glaze. Add the bay leaf and 1 cup of hot stock and stir once to make sure the grains are covered with liquid. Cook the farro, uncovered, at the barest simmer; when the liquid has been almost entirely absorbed and the farro begins to look dry, add another ½ cup of hot stock, stir once, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the farro once again begins to look dry. Cook the farro in this fashion for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add stock as needed, until the grains have expanded and are tender throughout, about 20 minutes longer.
   
   


2.   
   
   Stir in the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. The farrotto should look creamy, not wet or soupy. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.