Acorn Squash Stuffed with Black Bean and Kale

If you ever do get a cold day this mild winter, warm up with baked squash - a traditional winter dish.  Here I stuff a carnival squash with a mixture of black beans, kale and leek, baked under a toasted hazelnut topping sweetened with dried cranberries. Hearty, warming and stick-to-your-ribs.  And you get to turn the oven on in winter.
1 Acorn squash, quartered and seeded
1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
1/2 purple Bermuda onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cooked rice

Topping:
1/4 cup hazel nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil

Toast the hazelnuts in a 375F oven for about 3-5 minutes, just until aromatic. Watch, or they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and allow to return to room temperature. Keep oven at temperature.

Place squash, skin-side down, in a an oiled casserole. Sprinkle with sugar and season with coarse salt.

Roast covered in oven for about 15 minutes. Continue cooking uncovered about 15 minutes.

While squash cooks, sauté leek and onion in a skillet with a dash of olive oil.

After about 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the kale and cook another 10 minutes. Add the black beans and rice and warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss hazel nuts, cranberries and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse to form a coarse meal.

Tip into a small bowl and toss with the olive oil.

Remove squash from the oven and carefully stuff the squash evenly with the kale mixture. Top each squash with the hazel nut topping, distributing evenly.

Return to the oven and cook another 30 minutes.

Serves 4.