Early Thanksgiving – Butternut Squash Stuffed Mushrooms

Maybe 21 or 22 years ago, shortly after my wife and I purchased our first home and before kids, we got a free turkey; supermarkets used to give them away a few weeks before Thanksgiving when you spent a certain amount on groceries. We didn’t know what to do with a big huge turkey that was way too much for just the two of us. So we roasted it up and invited over a group of friends for an early Thanksgiving dinner. We’ve been hosting Early Thanksgiving ever since.

It has become a fall tradition that we share with some of our friends in late October or early November before the holiday craziness begins in earnest. Over the years, the cast of characters has slowly changed as some close friends moved away or kids went off to college, and as new friends are invited while others bring new partners and new babies.

While much remains the same from year to year, some years are different. After Superstorm Sandy, for example, we had no electricity, and assumed we would have to cancel. Only a day or two before the scheduled event did the power come back on. There was a mad frenzy of shopping, but we couldn’t find a turkey; that year we had to make do with roasted chickens. Of course no one seemed to mind, and after the stress of the storm and cleanup, it was one of the best celebrations ever. We were happy to relax with friends and good food.

Then there was the year I got sick of cooking traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Everything I made had a twist. The sweet potatoes had a Thai flair, and the cranberry sauce was a spicy chutney. I made a boneless turkey breast, butterflied and rolled with prosciutto in a porcini mushroom gravy. I don’t remember the variations on other dishes, but I do know that the masses revolted. That year I learned to respect tradition and not mess with the main meal.

I also learned there is room for being adventurous; I now cook a great array of appetizers and starters each year. This is where I get to show off, get creative, and experiment with new recipes. Sometimes they work and become an instant part of my repertoire, while other times they slink off quietly into the sunset, never to be seen again. Those who like the traditional meal get to sit down and feast on turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes all drowning in gravy alongside cranberry sauce, veggies, and squash. And those who find turkey and all its accoutrements boring and bland get to fill up before we even sit down at the table.

Early Thanksgiving has become a wonderful tradition that we look forward to every year. Some of our friends even joke that Early Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving meal that they really enjoy going to.

Here is this year’s menu. I’ve given the recipe for Butternut Squash Stuffed Mushrooms below, and over the next few weeks I’ll give recipes for some of the other appetizers, and maybe they will become part of your Thanksgiving tradition.

Appetizers:

Butternut squash stuffed mushrooms

Truffled potato and caramelized onion tart

Bon Appetit’s crispy sheet-pan meatballs with salsa verde

Arugula salad with burrata, fresh figs, toasted pine nuts in a fig-balsamic dressing

Endive boats with Asian pear, caramelized walnuts, and blue cheese

Tomatillo pickles

Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Manchego cheese

Plate of fresh raw veggies

Homemade bread

Main Meal:

Roast turkey

Gravy

Mashed potatoes

Stuffing with mushrooms, pecans, and raisins

Roasted Brussels sprouts with fried shallots

Bon Appetit’s hasselback butternut squash with bay leaves

Cranberry-orange relish

Dessert (made and brought made by friends – I think this is the first year my wife did not make a dessert):

Trio of chocolate truffles (apricot, white chocolate with espresso, salted caramel)

Apple pie

Grandma Terry’s cheesecake

Orange-brownie torte

Butternut Squash Stuffed Mushrooms

I’m always looking for one item to stuff inside another to make a tasty morsel. This year with a bumper crop of butternut squash, I thought about cooking them up, mashing them, and stuffing them in mushrooms. I have made butternut squash soup and butternut squash stuffed ravioli with pancetta and lots of sage, so I thought a similar filling would make a perfect fall bite when packed inside a mushroom.

makes about 20 mushrooms, about 45 minutes

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 ¼-inch thick round of pancetta (about 1¼ oz.), finely diced

2 medium shallots, finely diced

10 sage leaves, finely chopped

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. allspice

¾ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

¾ cup breadcrumbs

1 lb. white mushrooms – about 20 mushrooms

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet on medium-low. Add the pancetta and shallots and cook, stirring frequently until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped sage and cook for another two minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and reserve in a small bowl.
2. Return the skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add diced squash and sauté, allowing edges to brown slightly, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. If the squash is starting to stick or burn, add water a few tablespoons at a time. The squash should be cooked through and relatively soft. Return the pancetta, shallot, and sage mixture to the pot and add pepper, allspice, and salt. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. While the squash is cooling, clean the mushrooms, break off the stem, and hollow out the inside of the cap for stuffing. Set aside.
4. When the squash is cool, stir in ¾ cup of parmesan cheese, brown sugar, and bread crumbs. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings.
5. Stuff each mushroom with about a teaspoon of the squash mixture and place on a baking sheet, stuffing side up. Top with a healthy pinch of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Mushrooms can be stuffed one day ahead and refrigerated covered until ready to bake.
6. Bake the stuffed mushrooms uncovered in a preheated 350^oF oven for about 15 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and the cheese is melted.

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