Fall Harvest

By Kipp Rix

My personal favorite time of the year is upon us: the Fall season has taken hold here in northern New Mexico. The mornings are crisp and cool, the mountains above 13,000 feet have seen their first dusting of snow, the trees are starting to give hint to the awesome displays of fall colors to come, and the fall harvest is ripe for the picking. For the sausage in this recipe, I find it best to locate a locally produced product rather than a commercially produced sausage that is full of chemicals and who knows what. You may pay a little more, but the quality and flavor make the added cost well worth it. If you want to take this recipe to the next level, locate sausage that has been made with oryx, elk, or your favorite wild game meat.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 acorn squash

4 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

2 large yellow crook neck squash

1 large sweet onion

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

2 lager yellow or red bell peppers

2 pounds good quality beef sausage

asparagus spears

salt/pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Slice the acorn squash in half and remove seeds; trim the bottoms of the squash so that it will sit level in a pan, being careful to not cut so much off the bottom that you cut into the bowl of the squash. Lightly salt and pepper the squash.
3. Pour 1 inch of water into a baking pan just large enough to hold the squash, place the squash in the pan, and place a tablespoon butter in each squash half along with a tablespoon brown sugar.
4. Cover squash with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove foil and with a small spoon stir the butter and sugar mixture and coat the inside of the squash with the mixture.
6. Continue to cook the squash uncovered until the squash is fork tender and starting to brown.
7. In a large pan, heat the olive oil.
8. Dice all the vegetables into bite-size pieces.
9. Add the yellow squash and onions to the heated oil and sauté for 4-5 minutes on high heat.
10. Lower heat to medium and add the peppers, garlic, and sausage.
11. Continue to cook until the squash is fork tender and the sausage is heated through.
12. Add the asparagus, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Kipp Rix has been in the fire service for 19 years working as both a career and volunteer fire fighter in New Mexico. Kipp started cooking at the age of 10 and learned his early skills watching shows like the Galloping Gourmet and Julia Child. Throughout the years, Kipp refined his skills with a focus on grilling foods with a southwestern flair. In 2009 Fire House Publications, LLC released the first of Kipp’s two cook books with the second book released in 2011; a portion of the proceeds from the books helps fund Fire Kids. Kipp’s philosophy of fire house cooking is “Just because you work in a busy house does not mean that you have to settle for ordinary cooking, a crew’s attitude is directly related to the meals served!” Each of Kipp’s recipes has been Fire House tested and approved. Please email krix@fhpllc.net with a crew picture enjoying this recipe along with your review; each month one entry will be selected to receive a signed copy of one of my cook books. In 2013 Kipp founded Fire Kids, an organization that works with New Mexico children’s agencies and other organizations like the Make A Wish Foundation, of New Mexico to identify children facing a life altering or terminal illness; working with local municipal agencies and fire departments Fire Kids affords these children an opportunity to live the life of a fire fighter for a day. Complete information can be found on our Fire Kids web page.