roasted acorn squash

if i may introduce to you, a perfect side dish.

these little golden nuggets of pure goodness are roasted acorn squash. they are my new staple. and they are a whole food. and they are easy to make.

start by halving it, scooping out the middle, and chopping it up. i have found this is the easiest way to take off the very tough skin.

after this step, use your favourite paring knife to peel the sections like you would a potato. then chop them up into (roughly) bite size pieces.

these are about one inch cubes - and just right for how i want to bake them.

after this step, toss the squash in a bowl with some melted butter, a sprinkle of kosher/sea salt, and a drizzle of agave syrup. if you don't have this syrup, you can use maple syrup or regular pancake syrup.

but i highly suggest you go out and find this stuff. i get mine at costco, and it's two bottles for $12 or something like that. but you can go here to find a store location near you, there are a lot of places you can find their products, even in saskatchewan.

the syrup goes a very long way, and i use it in place of sugar most often when i am cooking now. it's also what we use as a sweetener or syrup with the kids. it has replaced the brown sugar in their porridge and syrup on their pancakes.

and any time you can eliminate refined sugar is huge.

the lighter the syrup (it's really nectar) the lighter the flavour. so this stuff is excellent for adding to foods that you want to sweeten, but not necessarily change the flavour of. for instance, the squash roasted with the nectar vs. the maple syrup will taste very different. both are delicious, but you may not want a maple flavoured side dish with your meal. but then again you may.


after you've tossed the squash with the butter, salt, and nectar, bake in a roasting pan at 400 for 20 minutes. adjust the cooking time based on the size of your squash pieces. but i think this is perfect for achieving the ultimate texture - caramelized nuggets that are a little crisp on the outside, and absolute melt in your mouth in the middle.

yum!

• one acorn squash, peeled and chopped.
• 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons of agave syrup or 4 tablespoons of an alternate syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt.

combine ingredients in a bowl and toss. place in a roasting pan in a single layer, bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the squash starts to caramelize and is pierced easily with a fork. serve immediately. give the pan a good shake half way through baking to ensure even roasting.

you can make this dish even simpler by skipping the peeling and chopping stage. after halving and scooping out the squash, drizzle the butter and syrup and then sprinkle the salt over the inside. and roast from there. you will need to at least double the roasting time, and when the squash is cooked thoroughly, you scoop it all out into a bowl and mash together and then serve.

the flavour is still great, and it's simpler than peeling and chopping, but you don't achieve the same texture that the little roasted cubes provide. biting through the sweet and salty skin that is formed during roasting is heaven in your mouth. knee weakening even, and i hope you try it!

and if you really have to, you can substitute olive oil for the butter. it's considered a vegan dish if you do, and it'll be slightly more healthy.