Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, cut in half and seeds removed
1 cup wild rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup raisins and/or
1/2 cup currants
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (optional)
grated zest from 1 orange
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice honey or maple syrup, to taste
fresh or dried sage, to taste
salt, to taste
Directions:
Place the two halves of butternut squash on a baking sheet with a little bit of water. Bake at 375° for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is very tender. Take it out and set aside to cool.
Cook the wild rice using suggested method on packaging.
While the rice and squash are cooking, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions and sauté over medium high heat until they are soft – about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fennel. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through. Add the vinegar and simmer until the pan is dry.
Then, in a large bowl, combine the onion/fennel mixture with the cooked rice. Add the raisins and/or currants, pine nuts, orange zest, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, sage, and salt and pepper and mix well. Add more of less of any of these ingredients to taste.
When the squash is cool, scoop out flesh, mash it and mix with a little honey or maple syrup if you would like. Serve the rice over a bed of butternut squash.