Roasted Acorn Squash

The only squashes in my vocabulary used to be butternut and Japanese Kabocha. I 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.