Food: Acorn Squash

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Acorn Squash
Monday, September 26, 2005

By Christina VanGinkel

I have always shied away from purchasing any sort of gourd or squash, other than for decoration purposes around Halloween and Thanksgiving. As far as buying one to eat, I would not have a clue what to do with one. Therefore, when a friend offered me an acorn squash fresh from her garden, I at first said 'no, thank you, but I have no idea what to do with it, and it is far too early to be decorating for Halloween yet'. She then asked me if I liked acorn squash to eat, and when I replied that I did, but I had no idea how to cook them she gave me a very simple set of instructions that yielded a delicious accompaniment to my next meal.

She told me to wash the outside of the squash off, and to cut it in half. Then, scoop out the seeded part on the inside and discard. Place in a pan containing a couple inches of water, upside down. Place in the oven at about 400 degrees for approximately 15 to 25 minutes, or just until the inside of the squash had been steamed by the water. Serve sprinkled with brown sugar. Well, that seemed easy enough, yet I had somehow imagined all sorts of difficult cooking instructions. I was still a little bit unsure if it would be that easy to cook something that looked like a giant green acorn as its name implied, but I figured it was worth a try at the least, as the instructions were quite simple.

I did follow her detailed instructions and was pleasantly surprised with a delicious dish. I had only cooked half of the squash when I made it though, so I still had half left the following day when she stopped by for a visit. I told her that it had worked out and that I was planning to cook the second half that very evening. She then told me I could duplicate the cooking instructions except for the oven, just pop it into the microwave for a few minutes at a time, in a glass baking dish, with a few inches of water, and get almost identical results. I did this and she was again correct. A second serving of acorn squash that was as delicious as the first, without having to turn on my oven. This is always a plus where I live in the Midwest, as even a fall afternoon can reach ninety degrees outside, limiting whether we want to be turning on an oven for baking or not.

What I learned from this scenario was that it is never too late to try a new ingredient or dish. I had passed on these garden delights many times throughout the years when offered simply because I was intimidated by the cooking process. Where I had ever came upon the information that they were difficult to cook with I cannot remember, but I am glad someone set me straight. Now, if I can just figure out what to do with a squash that looks like spaghetti on the inside when you slice it open, I might be able to actually tell someone that I know how to cook!

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