+GF +SF
Whole teff cooks up close to a porridge, so you should be aware of that before you start this one. First, you cook it up, and then you add it to the sauté to dry it out a bit. This takes about 10 minutes, so don’t be surprised. It’s worth the effort. —KH
SERVES 4 TO 6
TEFF
1 cup (200 g) whole teff
3 cups (710 ml) water
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
2 cups (280 g) cubed butternut squash
2 tsp (10 ml) mild oil, such as avocado or olive
¼ tsp powdered rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
Pinch of salt and pepper
CANDIED CRANBERRY
1 cup (100 g) fresh cranberries
1 cup (235 ml) water
2 tbsp (24 g) vegan sugar
SAUTÉ
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil (or water sauté to make oil-free)
1 small onion, minced (about 1 cup [200 g])
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups (150 g) chopped mushrooms
2½ tsp (6 g) poultry seasoning
½ tsp celery seeds
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and oil a baking sheet.
FOR THE TEFF
Add the teff and water to a small saucepan. Cover it and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the boil begins, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Stir the teff and remove from the heat. Note: This can be made a day or two in advance.
FOR THE SQUASH
Toss the butternut squash, oil, rosemary, salt and pepper all together in a mixing bowl. Spread everything out on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir the pieces around so they won’t get burned and cook 10 minutes more, or until tender. Set aside for later. Note: This can be made a day or two in advance.
FOR THE CRANBERRIES
Place the cranberries, water and sugar into an uncovered small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Then turn it down to medium heat. Stir every few minutes until the cranberries begin to burst and most of the water has cooked off. Note: This can be made a day or two in advance.
FOR THE SAUTÉ
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet (large enough to add all of the cooked teff in a later step). Once the oil is hot, add the onion and salt, and sauté until translucent. Next, add the garlic, mushrooms, poultry seasoning and celery seeds. Sauté until the mushrooms cook down, about 10 minutes.
To prepare your stuffing, turn the heat to medium and add the cooked teff in large spoonfuls to the sauté pan. Repeat until all of the teff is mixed in. It will be sticky, but as you cook it this time, it will dry out a little bit. Chop the mixture up continuously with a large spatula.
If your teff seems like it’s not drying at all, you can spread the mixture in a thin layer and flip pieces as they cook on one side. Be careful not to burn anything; you only want it just dry enough to mix with the sauté ingredients.
Once the sauté is well mixed and looks like dressing, chop it up with your spatula one last time and put it into a large serving bowl. Level off the top with the back of your spatula.
Place the roasted squash on the flattened top you just made and put the cranberries on top of the squash.
*SEE PHOTO INSERT