"Fancy" Sage Sausage Squash Farci

As a young girl, I spent my afternoons whipping up lemon bars and apple crips out of betty Crocker boxed baking kits in my parents' tiny kitchen. But as any seasoned chef will attest, baking (especially the kind that comes from a box) is very different from cooking. I knew it even then. People loved what I baked, whether it came from a box or I made it from scratch, but it was my grandmother's cooking that really brought people together. Friends, family members, even strangers were always drawn in by the warmth wafting from her little range oven as it powered out batch after batch of fried chicken and creamed spinach. And absolutely everybody looked forward to the night they would eat at Grandma's.

When I was about ten, I realized that Grandma was getting older and that, one day, Grandma wouldn't be there to create the food that glued us all together. I looked over my family-my calculating sister, my wild brother, my silly cousins- and I knew then and there that I had to be the one to fill in for Grandma when she no longer could. That's when it began. I spent Saturdays making all her dishes- writing down the recipes, tasting the flavors she'd been perfecting her whole life, hearing the stories that, for her, were as interwoven into the recipes as the ingredients themselves.

It wasn't until years later, when I was studying baking in France, that I remembered the very first dish I ever made with Grandma. A family of French sausage makers invited me to dinner at their farm. We sat down under the stars as Madame brought out a steaming tian of legumes farcis (stuffed vegetables) and I remembered the stuffed peppers I made on my first Saturday with Grandma. The flavors were different: Grandma's were spicy with paprika and a rich tomato base, much more Hungarian than the earthy French version filled with fresh herbs. But Madame's fully grown children moaned with delight when they saw her set the pan on the table, just the way my family would respond to Grandma's stuffed peppers. I spent the night listening to their stories and remembering my own, savoring that knowledge the power of food to give life its meaningful moments.

These are my own variation on legumes farcis. Neither French, nor Hungarian, they still make my husband whoop when I make them. The best part about stuffed squash is that the presentation is lovely, but they are very affordable and very easy to make. Excellent food for creating memories.

"Fancy" Sage Sausage Squash Farci: Serves 4

-2 small Acorn squashes
-1 small onion diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
-1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 C crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
-2 Tbsp white wine
- 1 lb pork sausage
- 2 Tbsp almond flour
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
-Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out he seeds and disgard. Chop off the ends so that the halls sit solidly without rolling. Place in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35 minutes
3. Meanwhile, sauté the onions in 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once translucent, add he sausages (remove casings) and brown. Once browned, add red pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook 2 minutes then add sage wine and simmer until all veg and meat are cooked and some of he liquid is reduced. Sprinkle in the almond flour and stir (this will thicken the sauce and help to bind the filling inside the squash). Remove from heat.
4. Once the squash have have baked for 35 minutes, they should be nicely browning and softened. Remove them from the oven and fill with the sausage sauté. Bake in the oven for 7-8 more minutes. The tops should be nicely golden. Serve sprinkled with chopped sage and some white wine. Bon Appetite!