2 acorn squash, top and bottom trimmed
2 tbs olive oil
salt and freshly ground white pepper
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 springs fresh sage, 5 chopped leaves and the rest for garnish 1 c pearl barley
3 c unsalted chicken stock
1 shallot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 small bunch of chives, chopped
3 oz smoked mozzarella, finely diced
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
With a large spoon scoop the seeds out of both squash and discard. Continue scraping the insides to extract about 1/2 c of the flesh from each squash and reserve. Drizzle one table spoon of olive oil inside each squash, then season with salt and white pepper. Set the squash upside down on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and turn them over.
While squash is baking put the reserved flesh, barley, and chicken stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Season with salt, reduce heat and let simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add garlic, shallot, carrot, and celery; continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the barley has a creamy consistency of risoto. Remove from heat and add butter, chopped sage leaves and the smoked mozzarella. Stir to incorporate and adjust the seasoning.
To serve, fill each roasted squash with the barley mixture and garnish with sage.