Butternut Squash with “Sausage” Stuffing

Flavorful Italian-type sausage is difficult to come by in Tokyo, so I learned to make my own with ground meat and the right seasonings. Now I’ve learned to substitute faux meat for regular meat to make a low-fat vegan version.

I use this odd stuff called Pino Konnyaku or “Vegetarian Meat” that’s a mixture of okara (soybean fiber) and konnyaku (jelly-like starch) and grinds up to a texture similar to cooked ground beef.

This recipe can be adapted easily for meat eaters by substituting real meat sausage (and breadcrumbs or rice as filler).

Butternut Squash with “Sausage” Stuffing
serves 4

1 butternut squash
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup edamame
1 1/2 cups of “vegetarian meat”
seasonings: fennel seed, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, thyme celery seed, salt, pepper, MSG

Mix the meat with the seasoning and allow to marinate for several hours. You should do this to your own taste - I like lots of fennel and a fair amount of cayenne with the other seasonings creating a flavorful background. MSG helps the flavors to blend. Do yours as as you like.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Roast on an oiled surface in a 180C oven for about 25 minutes, or until the squash can be easily pierced with a knife. Coool to room temperature. Remove seeds; scrape a channel for the filling, setting aside the scraped bits for the filling mixture.

Chop the onion & garlic finely, saute in oil. Add the seasoned “meat” and cook until slightly browned. Mix in the squash and edamame. Season to taste with salt and pepper and/or a splash of soy sauce.

Spoon the filing into the squash shells and bake at 180 for about 15 minutes, or until the top of the mixture is lightly browned. Serve with rice and salad.

Note: if you are using meat sausage, brown it and drain the oil before adding to the filling mixture. You may want to use rice or breadcrumbs as a filler, since 1.5 cups of cooked sausage is a lot!

Posted by kuri at August 25, 2007 11:50 AM