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of butter in a large skillet or sauté pan set over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook for 3 minutes, or until golden, stirring occasionally. Scoop in the cubed squash and cook for about 4 minutes, or until slightly softened, stirring often. Add the chard. There will be quite a lot of greens, so use tongs or two wooden spoons to gently turn the mixture until the onions and squash are evenly distributed throughout the chard leaves. Pour the vermouth over the greens, cover, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the chard wilts.

3. Stir in the maple syrup, the remaining sage, and the cinnamon. Cook, uncovered, for about 4 minutes, or until the liquid in the pan has reduced to a glaze, stirring frequently.

4. Mound this vegetable mixture on a 10-inch pie plate. Nestle the prepared chicken breast into the vegetables, mounding them up into the hollow of the ribs. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is browned and cooked through, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the flesh registers 160°F. Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. To serve, either carve the breast as you would a whole roast chicken or split it in half down its center (i.e., along the breastbone) with poultry shears. Serve with the roasted vegetable mixture on the side.

Variations

Replace the squash with equivalent amounts of yellow beets, turnips, or rutabagas. Replace the Swiss chard with mustard greens, spinach, or beet greens. You can also stir 1 tablespoon pine nuts, 1 tablespoon pecan pieces, or 1 tablespoon sliced blanched almonds into the vegetable mixture before mounding it in the pie plate and baking it.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS makes 2 stuffed breasts

In this dish, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are stuffed with thin slices of prosciutto, provolone, and arugula, and the accompanying Marsala sauce is made right in the pan. Use only dry Marsala, a slightly bitter aperitif, not sweet Marsala, a dessert wine. This dish is best accompanied by mashed or roasted potatoes.

Two 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

4 paper-thin slices prosciutto (about 1 ounce)

4 thin slices provolone (about 1½ ounces)

cup packed arugula, washed, stems removed

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

teaspoon salt

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

cup dry Marsala

½ teaspoon tomato paste (see page 14)

1. Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 250°F. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface, lay the chicken breasts on it about 4 inches apart, then cover with a second sheet. Pound the breasts to a ¼-inch thickness with the smooth side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap. Lay two slices of prosciutto on top of each flattened breast, folding the prosciutto back from the breasts’ sides so that there’s a ¼ -inch border of uncovered chicken all around the breasts.

2. Think of each breast as divided in half. Cover one half of each breast with two slices of provolone, then lay half the arugula over each breasts’ provolone slices. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar over each pile of arugula. Using the bottom sheet of plastic wrap as a guide, fold the non-cheese-and-arugula half of the breast up and over the cheese-and-arugula half. Press the breasts’ edges closed to seal them, thus encasing the filling. Season the outside of the breasts with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then slip the stuffed breasts into the pan. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until browned; then turn and cook for about 6 more minutes. To keep the meat from sticking to the pan, shake the pan several times during the first minute of cooking to loosen the breasts. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to an oven-safe plate and keep warm in the oven. Do not degrease the pan; return it to medium heat.

4. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until sizzling, stirring often. Raise the heat to