A delicious side dish in the fall or winter, acorn squash is sweet tender and full of vitamins and minerals. The rosemary brown sugar mixture compliments the sweetness of the squash beautifully, and adds an unexpected pop of flavor to an otherwise ordinary vegetable. You can substitute another type of squash if you can’t find acorn, although if your produce section has squash at all these are usually abundant. Squash can be very difficult to cut open without an extremely sharp knife and a lot of strength. You can put it in the microwave to soften up, but you’ll then have to adjust your cooking time to avoid a mushy texture.
Did you know: Rosemary is a popular herb that has many uses, from sweet to savory. It goes great with potatoes and in breads, and is even a delightful surprise in a shortbread cookie. It’s easy to grow, although unlike other leafy herbs, is hard to get started from a seed, so buying a plant is best. Don’t over water it though, unlike a lot of plants, it tends to do best in dry environments.
Ingredients:
1 Acorn squash
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut your squash in half and clean out the seeds. Slice each half into 4 wedges. Mix brown sugar, rosemary and melted butter. Lay squash on baking sheet and sprinkle each slice with a bit of mixture. Turn over and sprinkle other side. Bake for 30 minutes or so until squash is tender and slightly caramelized, turning each slice over halfway through. Serve immediately.
(makes 4 servings)
