Orange Rosemary Roasted Acorn Squash with Sausage

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb mild organic Italian Sausage
1/3 C diced red pepper
4 large garlic cloves chopped fine
½ medium shallot diced fine
Juice from one lemon
1/3 C rose or boujeolais wine
¼ C chopped salted cashews
1/3 C orange marmalade
1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary and more for garnish
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
1/3 C good canola oil
¼ C light red wine
1 T butter

Direction:

• Slice 1,8 inch tall acorn squash into for quarters. Remove all seeds and pith inside. Rub dry if there’s any moisture from rinsing.In a bowl combine the orange marmalade, the chopped rosemary, ¼T salt and a good dash of fresh cracked black pepper plus 2 T oil and whisk with a fork. Pour about a T of oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan and set the quarters on the oil. Lift the quarters and rub the oil all over them. Now brush with the orange rosemary mixture and push around so it covers all the inside surfaces and spills out a bit over the top.Then add a dash of salt and pepper to each. Cook in a 375 F oven for 50 minutes or until fork slips easily into the center. Take out, cover with foil and let sit if needed until plating.
• While squash is cooking, preheat a large saucepan with 2 T oil. Then add the shallot and cook on medium high until a slight bit of caramelization begins. Then add the garlic, and red pepper and toss until they begin to sweat. Add the sausage and cook until no pink remains. Then add the cashews and continue to brown. Deglaze with the wine,add salt and pepper as needed. Let the saltiness of the sausage should be your gauge. I added one pat of butter at the end just to smooth out the mixture
• To plate, put greenery at the bottom of a wide serving bowl. (I used baby spinach with a Sriracha honey vinaigrette.) Place a section of the acorn squash on top. Ladle a generous portion of the sausage mixture and top with a large sprig of rosemary for color.