During my first semester at NAIT, one of the many interesting classes I got to take was the study of soups and vegetables! I got really excited because that was one of the things I felt passionate about but also something I could learn more about as a young chef.
Needless to say, this class taught me many things about cooking. Not only wasit specific to soups and vegetables, it also got me to understand and follow the correct procedures in cooking recipes, in judging the quality of cooked food based on the product we were using and overall food quality! It definitely was one of my favourite classes, for sure.
Since it is still fall – well, kind of, because Edmonton’s weather is quite wonky – I am going to talk about one of the many favourite dishes we made in this class – baked acorn squash with brown sugar. Saying this literally makes my mouth water. I don’t know why, but this dish reminds me of a sweet dessert … coated in brown sugar and melted butter.
I don’t know about you but anything caramelized with brown sugar and butter sounds like heaven to me, probably followed by diabetes but, hey! We can worry about that later. Also the great thing about this winter squash is that it is full of vitamins A and C (yay, because that means you should eat more of it) and, in addition, can be cooked in multiple ways whether it is being baked, steamed or puréed for a soup.
For this recipe, you will just need three ingredients! The acorn, butter and brown sugar! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar
Ingredients:
Acorn squash – 4
Butter, melted – as needed
Brown sugar – . cup
Procedure:
1. Wash and cut the squash in half – lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and set them aside (If you like roasted seeds, you can bake them).
2. Brush the cavity of the squash with melted butter and place the pieces close together, cut side down on a baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350 F (175 C) until almost tender, for 30-40 minutes.
4. Turn the squash cut-side up and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes more until surface is glazed.
– Hana Laverick
