Baked Acorn Squash

Today is National Acorn Squash Day. Now for my Grandmother and people a few generations ahead of us, these things are not hard to pick out at your local store. But what about the younger kids who grew up nowhere near a garden let alone a farm or field full of fresh vegetables, fruits and berries?

To no fault of their own, children of today oftentimes don’t know what is what when it comes preserving the land and growing their own vegetation, because Society at large isn’t promoting it as “Cool.”

We will leave our speech on the importance of The Slow Food Movement for a later time.

Well, we here at The Supreme Plate feel that it is our job to promote healthy living and good food as well as teach the youth how to make the Acorn Squash and many other funny looking forms of food taste delicious with just a minimal amount of work.

The Acorn Squash, seen in markets everywhere but often overlooked because of its odd shape and lack of promotion, is going to play the role of the Star in this recipe and will amaze you and your kids as to just how deliciously sweet it tastes when hit with a few simple ingredients and given a quick run through the oven.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 acorn squash, cut in 1/2

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Scoop the seeds and stringy pulp out of the squash cavities and discard.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, syrup and salt and pepper, to taste. 

Rub the squash cavities and cut sides of the squash with the butter mixture and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

Serve 1 half per person alongside a steak, baked chicken breasts, fried shrimp, pan seared fish or whatever your heart desires.