Kids Dish

Acorn squash is a vegetable I didn’t discover until college. My boyfriend’s parents lived in town and we’d often go there for dinner. His parents used to call me Twiggy and try to fatten me up with all of their favorite foods. Almost all of their vegetables came from their large garden. Most everything was cooked in insane amounts of butter until mushy and practically unrecognizable, but the acorn squash was something extra butter just improves and it helps that it’s pretty hard to overcook it.

Generally I serve acorn squash as is, in the shell. I cut it in half through the stem end with a strong knife, scoop the seeds and bake for about an hour in a 400 degree oven. Usually during the last few minutes of cooking I’ll add a pat of butter and either a sweet or savory seasoning to each half. For savory I like butter and rosemary. For sweet I like either brown sugar or maple syrup. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Acorn squash is delicious and kid friendly.

Searching for more acorn squash recipes I came across a recipe that calls for tossing the roasted squash with a Chile Vinaigrette. The tangy citrus juices and heat from the chile peppers offset the sweetness of the acorn squash beautifully.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette
Gourmet, October 2006

2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil (or less to taste)
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds (you can substitute sriracha)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.