An Original Recipe by Angela Trentadue
If you can’t find porcinis, other varieties of dried mushrooms will do.

2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1/2 c hulled barley
1/2 c dried porcini mushrooms
1 large onion, small diced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 large celeriac, peeled and small diced
1 large carrot, peeled and small diced
1/4 c fresh grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the butter begins to foam, add the barley, stirring well to coat. Lightly toast the
barley in the pan, stirring often, about 4-5 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until the kernels are tender and have swelled, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the broth by placing 4 cups of water in a large pot over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat but leave the pot on the burner. Add the dried mushrooms, cover and allow to steep while making the rest of the soup.
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, place the remaining olive oil and butter with rosemary sprigs. Once the butter begins to foam, add the diced onions. Stir to coat evenly with oil and butter. Cover the pan and cook about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions will become very soft and translucent and release much of their liquid. While they cook, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rapid boil. Par-boil the celeriac until just barely tender, remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Repeat with carrots and add to the bowl with the celeriac.
Remove the lid from the onions. Continue cooking about 15 more minutes, stirring more often, to allow color to develop. With about 5 minutes left, add the carrots and celeriac and stir well to incorporate. Strain mushroom pieces from broth, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Cut mushrooms into small dice and stir into vegetable mix. Turn heat back on to medium-low under the mushroom broth.
Remove rosemary sprigs from onion and celeriac mix and gently add to broth. Stir in barley and allow soup to come to a light simmer, melding flavors together. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh grated pecorino cheese.

An Original Recipe by Angela Trentadue
This is a variation on the very popular stuffed acorn squash.

The squash is cut into wedges, slathered with a sweet-spicy syrup, and roasted while the stuffing is prepared on the stove. The wild and brown rice mix is studded with ruby-red cranberries, toasted sunflower seeds and caramelized onions, all tossed together with a creamy lemon dressing.

For the squash:
1 large acorn squash
2 tbs honey
2 tbs vegetable or canola oil
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Carefully cut 1 acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Trim about 1/4” from each end and cut the squash into 1” wedges or half-circles. Poke all the exposed surfaces of the squash with the tip of a paring knife and
put wedges into a large bowl.

Mix together the honey, oil, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, cumin and cayenne. Add warm water a tablespoon at a time to loosen the mixture just enough to coat the squash. Toss the squash with the spiced syrup and lay out on a sheet pan (put down a layer of tin foil on your sheet pan to make clean up easier!). Bake until fork tender and browning on the edges, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the rice stuffing.

For the stuffing:
1/2 c wild rice
1/2 c brown rice
3 tbs olive oil
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tbs
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c raw sunflower seeds, toasted

In a small saucepan, combine wild rice and 1-1/2 cups cold water. Set over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until kernels have burst and are tender, about 45 minutes.
In another saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and chopped onion, and saute until tender. Add the brown rice to the pan, mix with vegetables and oil, cook until toasted and fragrant. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until tender and the water has been absorbed, about 35 minutes.
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil together. Add the sliced onions and cooking slowly, stirring occasionally, to allow the onions to soften and caramelize. Once they have melted and turned golden in color, mix in the cranberries, stirring well to coat with butter and oil.
Cook cranberries just enough to soften.

To finish:
In a large bowl, whisk together:
1/3 c sunflower oil or olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs honey
2 tbs water
1/4 c chopped parsley

Add cooked wild rice (drain off any remaining cooking water, if necessary), cooked brown rice and cranberry – onion mixture. Stir well to evenly distribute dressing through all of the rice. Fold in sunflower seeds. Serve squash wedges with a scoop of rice stuffing alongside.