Roasted Buttercup Squash with Cider and Forbidden Rice

Recipe by Anna Gill

Serves 6

1 -3 lb. Buttercup squash
1½ cup black Forbidden rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup, plus 2 cups apple cider
½ cup, plus 2 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350o.
2. Cut the top off the squash as though for a Jack-o-lantern, about an inch below the rim of the squash, leaving the stem, if any, intact.
3. Remove the seeds and any fibrous stringy material from the center.
4. Brush the cavity with the olive oil and dust it with half the spices and a little salt and pepper.
5. Place the squash open side down in a roasting pan containing about half cup cider and a half cup of chicken broth. Bake for about 40 minutes.
6. Place the rice in a saucepan with the remaining cider and broth. Bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 40 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.
7. When the squash is fork tender, carefully scrape out the flesh, leaving a sufficient amount to maintain the walls of the squash skin. Mash the removed cooked squash and season as necessary.
8. Fill the squash cavity with the cooked rice, leaving a bowl in the middle.
9. Fill the bowl inside the rice with the mashed squash and return the whole to the oven for approximately 10 minutes. Serve.