Porcini are not always easy to find, but they add an indispensable flavor to this dish. Sometimes porcini can be ordered from restaurant suppliers, occasionally they can be found at a farmer's market, and I recently got lucky and found jars of excellent porcini in olive oil. (I bought every jar I could get my hands on.)

If you cannot get fresh or frozen porcini, increase the amount of other wild mushrooms, and add some top quality dried porcini, rehydrated and rinsed. (Be sure to save the soaking liquid, strain it through a filter, and use it to moisten the mushrooms as they cook.)

2 lbs. mixed mushrooms: portobellos, shiitakes and Italian browns
1 lb. porcini (or as many as you can get)
2 large onions
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup Marsala, more if needed
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable broth as needed

Clean all the mushrooms carefully, washing off the sand and grit. Trim the stems if they are woody or stringy. Cut the portobellos into thick strips, and the large shiitakes and browns into halves - leave smaller ones whole. Treat the porcini the same way, cutting only the large ones. Use as much as possible of the thick porcini stems.

Cut the onions in half and slice them thickly. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently with your hands, lifting and dropping until all the mushrooms are coated.

Put the mushrooms in a large baking pan, and cover tightly with foil. Roast at 375° for 45 minutes, then remove the foil, stir the mushrooms around, and continue roasting uncovered for another 20 to 30 minutes. You might have to add a spoonful of vegetable broth or a bit more Marsala if the the mushrooms are drying out. There should not be much liquid left in the pan, but enough to coat the mushrooms and keep them moist.

Serve the roasted mushrooms hot, with polenta or risotto.

Serves 8.

Kabocha Squash Stuffed With Savoury Rice Pilaf

This is a festive dish, tasty and fun to serve. I bring the whole steaming squash to the table on a platter, lift its "lid", and cut it in big wedges as I would a cake. The fragrant, colorful rice pilaf spills out over each wedge of squash as its served, and more pilaf can be added to the plate around it.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. Many of them are the spices that give this pilaf its intriguing, slightly exotic flavor. And if you can't get a good, big Kabocha Squash, look for a Grey Hubbard, or another tasty, heirloom variety. A delicious squash is essential!

1 large Kabocha squash (4 lbs.), or 2 medium
1 large eggplant (1 lb.)
salt to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. turmeric
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 3/4 cups basmati (or other long grain) rice
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
12 oz. tomatillos, peeled and cut in 1/2" dice
1/2 cup thin-sliced green onions (bulb and light green part)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or sour cherries
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 Tbs. butter

garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

With a very sharp knife, cut an even circle, about 4" across, from the top of the kabocha squash. Lift the top off, and scoop out all the seeds and strings, scraping the inside of the squash until it is clean. Replace the lid, put the squash on a baking sheet, and roast it in a 375° oven for about 45 minutes; it will be partly cooked.

Cut the eggplant in 1" dice, salt it, and drain in a colander for about half an hour, then gently squeeze out any excess moisture.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, non-stick pan and sauté the onion and garlic in it for about five minutes. Add a dash of salt, the ginger, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, crushed red pepper and rice, and stir over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth and water, then stir in the tomatillos, green onions, dried fruit, and half the cilantro. As soon as the liquid simmers, lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook the rice gently for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pan covered for another 5 minutes.

In another non-stick pan or wok, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil until a drop of water sizzles in it. Sauté the eggplant in it, stirring constantly, until it is tender and beginning to color. Taste, and add salt only if needed.

Fluff up the pilaf, and stir in the remaining cilantro, pine nuts and eggplant. (The pilaf should be on the moist side, to balance the dense texture of the kabocha squash. If you want to make this recipe with another, juicier type of squash, slightly reduce the liquid.)

Rub the butter over the inside of the squash, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Fill the squash with rice pilaf, nudging it in under the sides and tapping it down. If the pilaf seems dry, sprinkle it with a bit of broth or water. Replace the lid of the squash, fitting it snugly into its place.

Bake the squash at 350° for another 45 minutes. Put the remaining pilaf into a buttered casserole, cover it, and put it in the oven with the squash for the last fifteen minutes.

Bring the hot roasted squash to the table on an ample platter. Cut it into wedges, slicing right through the skin which is now very soft. This is the fun part the wedges fall out from the center, and the squash blossoms out like a flower, with pilaf spilling from the center. Lay a wedge of squash on each plate, and spoon on more pilaf from the casserole as you like.

Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Serves 8 - 10.