Monday, September 23, 2013

Roasted Acorn Squash

The only squashes in my vocabulary used to be butternut and Japanese KabochaI had my first experience with acorn squash earlier this week.

Acorn squash got its name because, well, it looks like the shape of an acorn. It's predominantly green. To pick a ripe acorn squash, find one that is firm with a dark orange spot (pictured at top).

Since I have never eaten or cooked acorn squash before, I decided to roast it. Roasting is my fav technique lately (read, lazy). To flavor it, I decided to season with curry powder & salt to balance out the inherent sweetness.

Based on my taste test, acorn squash is indeed a mildy sweet, slightly fibrous variety. It's quite similar to the Kabocha.


Roasted Curry Acorn Squash Recipe


Ingredients

  • 1-2 organic acorn squash
  • 1-2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
  • Small bunch of homegrown fresh sage (optional)
  • Curry powder
  • Kosher salt 
  • Brown sugar or maple syrup (to sweeten, if desired) I omitted sugars as my Repairvite detox program restricts me from sweets. Boo.
Instructions

Step #1: Clean outside of squash

Step #2: Cut squash in half. Be careful with your knife. It's a bit tough to cut.
Tyler Florence's recipe called for halves, but I think it'd be better to make wedges for browning on all edges. But, it will definitely take more work to cut the raw squash upfront.
Step #3: Scoop out seeds & stringy flesh. 


Step #4: Place squash cut-side up on a foil-lined sheet pan. Drizzle warmed coconut oil over squash. Sprinkle seasoning. Add sage on top. Note: Some recipes call for roasting cut-side down. Tomato, tomatoe?

Step #5: Roast in oven at 350F for one hour, or until fork tender.
Tyler Florence's recipe called for 30 minutes, but it definitely needed longer. Also, I think the caramelization and concentration of sweetness will be more effective at 400 for 45 min to 1 hour. 
And, if you added any sugar, be sure to baste the squash with the resulting sauce for better caramelization & distribution of flavor. 
Step #6: Let cool slightly. Slice into wedges & serve.

I served my squash alongside organic roasted carrots and grass-fed Leg of Lamb steaks. Here's a pic.

What are your favorite acorn squash recipes? 
Also, if you're tired of the same old squash, check out all these squash varieties.









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