Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

This Cook's Illustrated recipe has in my repertoire for some time. I've been meaning to post it for, I don't know, the last few years or so. It's easy, relatively quick, and exceedingly delicious. It's rich and sweet and better than candy as far as I'm concerned. That being said, I don't make it all the time because the butter and the brown sugar probably outweigh the benefits of eating squash with dinner. (I have tried this with less butter and sugar and it is great that way, too.)

You do have to be careful what you pair this with, since it is a sweet and decadent side-dish. I've made a meal of nothing but this and sauteed kale and been thorough satisfied. Whatever you decide to make to serve with this, I do hope you try this recipe. It is technically still winter, so make this while you still can. Before you know it, spring will be here! Hip, hip, hooray!

Roasted Acorn Squash

~Print Recipe~

• 2 medium-sized acorn squash
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1. Adjust top oven rack to 6-inches from element. Pre-heat the broiler.
2. Cut each acorn squash in half. Scoop out all of the seeds and strings. Make sure to really get all of it out or the glaze will not seep into the flesh of the squash . (This step is a little onerous.)
3. Place the four halves in a large microwave-safe glass bowl, such as a Pyrex. (The open halves will be facing the sides of the bowl.) Add a little less than 1/4 cup of water to the bowl, then cover the bowl tightly with a couple layers of plastic wrap. Poke 4 small holes in the top for the steam to vent. Microwave for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash offers no resistance when poked with fork. Carefully remove from the microwave. Open the plastic wrap of the side away from you to let the steam out.
4. Place halves face up on a tin foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Cut lines criss-crossing the squash (this helps the glaze sink in and makes the squash taste better!).
5. Heat butter, brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small pot over low heat on the stove. Whisk occasionally, until it dissolves. Divide mixture evenly over the four squash halves, making sure to coat every inch.
6. Broil until brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Rustic Veggie Melt

The other day I needed a quick dinner and I ended up with a delightful meal worth posting.

My sister works at New Seasons and is able to bring home a lot of produce for free. When ever something is dropped or bruised or on the verge of going bad they set it aside. It's from this group of veggies she can pick some for us to enjoy at home. She brought home a lot of squash, peppers and onions which she chopped and roasted. I walked in when the veggies were coming out of the oven, which drastically reduced my overall cooking time, but it's still easy. Here are the instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Rinse and chop various veggies, in this case we had green and yellow squash, red and green bell peppers, yellow onions and whole cloves of garlic. Toss veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can add fresh herbs too. We had thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Roast in glass baking dish until all veggies are cooked through and starting to brown, tossing at least once. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Increase oven to Broil.

Cut thick slices of sourdough and lay them on a flat cookie sheet, covered in foil if you like foil.
Scoop some of the roasted veggie mixture onto each slice of bread and spread it to the edges. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil or other herb if you have it. Then layer some jack or mozzarella cheese over the top. Place in the oven on middle rack and watch until the cheese just starts to bubble and the edges of the bread are toasty. Remove from the oven and seve immediately.

I didn't have the energy to make a whole salad to go with this so you can see I just tossed some avocado pieces with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Total time with roasting veggies is about 1 hour (most of which you are sitting while veggies cook)
Total time with pre-roasted veggies is about 10 minutes. If you pre-roast veggies they can be stored in the frig for a few days and you can have this meal for an easy lunch or brunch with an egg on top.

Enjoy!