This is a great recipe for stuffed delicata squash, the beautiful, cream-colored gourd with dark green stripes and rich, gold flesh. It tastes similar to sweet potatoes and is, occasionally, called sweet potato squash as a result. The filling, made from mushrooms, dried cranberries, and whole wheat breadcrumbs, and seasoned with with sage, is sweet and earthy tasting. This would be a nice side or even a main dish for a holiday meal.
When I first devised this recipe for work, I used acorn squash, but acorn's size didn't work well with our take-out packaging. Delicata fits the bill nicely. Regarded as an heirloom variety (a term I hate, but I won't go into that now) delicata first became popular after it appeared in New York City in 1894, introduced by Peter Henderson & Co., a seed company which may no longer exist. Popular the next 30 years or so, it fell out of favor and began to reappear several years ago. Delicata has a thin skin which may have made it unappealing for long-distance transport, but when sauteed, the skin is edible which is nice because the delicata is a pain to peel. If you can't find delicata, acorn and sugar loaf squashes would work nicely, as well.
3 delicata squashes, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
1 lb mushrooms (cremini or button), stemmed and chopped
3/4 cup red onion, diced
1 tbsp sage, finely chopped
1 cup boiling water
3 cups breadcrumbs, whole wheat
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 lb butter
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.