Yields 6 servings

Fall is still upon us! The snow has not yet hit the ground so I am stretching out my harvest veg as much as possible. This is such a flavourful meal, it is packed with so many delicious flavours, savoury, sweet and salty, a winning trio! The wild rice, apricots, cranberries and apples married with the savoury flavours of the garlic rice is perfection. All these flavors nestled in the perfect vessel; halved acorns, provide a tasty edible bowl for this amazing stuffing. This recipe was intended to be vegetarian friendly, however it can be made vegan by omitting the butter for your choice of oil. This is a hearty enough dish that it can be a main, however to provide a little variety to the table can be a side dish as well. 

As American Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it is the perfect dish to add variety to your table and to please all guests without breaking your back or your wallet! This dish can be made a day in advance and can be heated up “a la minute”! 

Pro Tips 

• These acorns hold up well and can be baked and assembled the day prior to serving. When ready to serve, simply heat them up in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes to ensure they are fully heated through.
• Wild rice is very high in fiber and serves as a great option for a healthy weeknight meal. 

What you’ll need

• Parchment lined baking sheet
• Small saucepan
• Kitchen brush
• Medium Pot

Ingredients 

Acorn Boats

• 3 Acorn Squash
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbl butter, salted
• 2 tbl finely chopped sage
• 1tbl freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp salt

Autumn Rice Stuffing 

• 4 tbl butter, salted
• 3 shallots finely chopped (aprox. 90g)
• 3 celery stalks chopped
• 3 cloves of minced garlic 
• 1.5 cups of wild rice
• 4.5 cups of vegetable stock 
• ¼ cup dried apricots
• ¼  cup red currants
• ½ cup of freshly chopped herbs (parsley, sage and thyme)
• 1 apple (of your choice) chopped 
• 1tsp lemon juice
• ¼  tsp cinnamon 
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Directions 

1. Get the ball rolling and prep your Mise! Gather your ingredients and measure out the butter and maple syrup for the Acorn Boats.
2. Preheat your oven to 425℉. 
3. Cut the Acorns in half (lengthwise) and with a spoon, discard seeds. Lay the acorns flesh side up (skin on the parchment paper) on a parchment lined baking sheet. 
4. In a small saucepan, combine 2 tbl of butter, maple syrup, sage and ginger until sauce is melted and combined. Using a kitchen brush, brush the inside of the acorns with the sauce and bake for 30-40 minutes until tender (insert a fork into the flesh, if the fork slides in and out without any resistance it is cooked).  
5. Meanwhile, place dried apricots and red currants in separate bowls and cover with water. Allow them to soak up the water, 20-30 minutes. 
6. In a medium pot, add 1 tbl of butter, minced garlic, chopped celery and finely chopped onion. Sweat for 3-4 minutes on medium heat or until the onion becomes translucent. 
7. Rinse the rice thoroughly. In a medium pot combine the rice and vegetable stock. Simmer rice over medium low heat or until cooked, about 45 minutes. 
8. While the rice is cooking, peel and chop apple in 1 cm cubes. 
9. In a small saucepan, add finely chopped apple, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook apple over low heat until apple is tender, 10-15 minutes. 
10. Strain apricots and cranberries (now that they have come back to life) and roughly chop. 
11. Once rice is cooked, remove from heat add chopped fruit, chopped herbs and apples. Mix till well combined and fill acorn boats with rice mixture. Serve hot!