ACORN SQUASH WITH ROSEMARY AND BROWN SUGAR

It's hard for me to believe that acorn squash belongs to the same family as the dreaded "Z." For those of you who don't know me, that's zucchini. I loathe zucchini. Whenever a dinner is described as being accompanied by seasonal vegetables, I immediately ask if the dreaded "Z" is part of the melange. And yet, I love butternut squash, acorn squash; I like yellow squash and spaghetti squash. But, I digress.

I generally halve or quarter the acorn squash, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and brown sugar, brush on some butter, and bake until done. In looking through my foodie magazines this month, I saw another treatment that included my favorite savoury, rosemary.

Serves 4
1  2-lb acorn squash, unpeeled; halved lenthwise, seeded, and cut into 8 edges
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs chopped rosemary
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Score each wedge of squash. Heat the butter and oil in an 11-12 inch straight-sided saute pan over medium high heat. Arrange the squash in a single layer and cook, flipping, until deep golden brown on all sides (12-18 minutes).

Carefully pour the wine into the pan, then scatter the brown sugar, rosemary, lemon juice, salt, and pepper over the squash. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the squash is almost tender (about 10 minutes more).

Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Flip the squash and cook until the liquid thickens and the squash is tender (another 5 minutes). Transfer to a platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle any remaining liquid over the top.
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TASTE NOTES
I love having acorn squash as our starch. I served this with roasted cauliflower and garlic and spiral ham. I don't know that I've ever prepared acorn squash without cinnamon and I thought I'd miss it. I didn't. The sugar and wine cook down to a wonderful syrup and the rosemary balances this sweetness perfectly. I was low on white wine, so I used up some dry vermouth and it worked just as well. This is a perfect Thanksgiving side dish if you're not already overloaded with family favorites.