So at the farmer's market this weekend, we hoarded a good stash of winter squash just like last year. One farmer offers a basket of squash for $10.00 when the market is getting down to its final weeks. I think we got about 13 winter squash including acorn, butternut, golden buttercup, carnival, delicata, sweet dumpling, and one blue hubbard - less than $1.00 a piece!
I love deals like that and squash is one of my favorite foods - I look forward to it all year. So, expect to see a lot of squash recipes from me again this year! This recipe is a pretty simple side dish, but also really delicious. You could use any winter squash in place of acorn, but I like that acorn isn't too sweet in itself so the caramelized brown sugar doesn't make it too sweet.
While this may be a simple dish, I have been trying to post more side dishes lately. This is because I hope that people will be more inspired to cook and eat their vegetables. I find that most people who think they don't like a certain vegetable probably just never had it cooked well (think a nice roasted Brussels sprout versus a boiled mushy brussel sprout). This is a question I get from friends and family when they hear that I bought a bunch of winter squash, turnips, Swiss chard, etc. - "how do you cook that?" I even had a lady at the store stop me recently and ask me what I was going to do with those fennel bulbs I was buying. While many vegetables are good just drizzled with olive oil and roasted, I also like to get creative with my vegetables. Hopefully some of these sides will inspire you to do the same! This recipe is a side dish for two or three people.
1 acorn squash, seeded and cut into wedges (about 6-8 per squash)
olive oil
about 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
sea salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom and spread it around. Place the squash wedges skin side down into the dish. Evenly divide the butter and place it onto the wedges. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, brown sugar, and black pepper.
Place the dish into the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes and then turn the squash wedges onto one side. Continue to bake for another 5-7 minutes, then rotate the wedges to the other side. Continue to bake until you can pierce the squash wedges easily with a fork.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot. The squash will be sticky and sweet.
Sounds like a delicious way to have acorn squash!
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to make acorn squash with brown sugar and cinnamon. It was always delectable. I like it savory now with coconut oil and garlic. Super tasty. :-)
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