Experimenting with Acorn Squash

My dad is a big fan of squash, but my mom and I are not very crazy about it.  I love squash soups, but I don't love it when it's cooked any other way.  I think I've finally figured out why.  I think it's because when you cook squashes they get mushy.  I like cooked vegetables that are still a little crisp and crunchy when they're cooked.  You can't achieve that with a squash.  If a squash is crunchy, then it's still raw which leaves you with a mushy vegetable.  I also feel like if a vegetable is mushy then you might as well puree it and make it completely smooth.  So when my dad asked me if I would cook up some of his remaining acorn squash, I decided I would make a puree.


I found a recipe for a mashed acorn squash with garlic.  You roast the garlic and squash in the oven until extremely tender.  Once cooked you mash the squash and squeeze the garlic in the mash and mix together.  I wanted to get a really smooth texture, like a puree, so I put the garlic squash mash in a food processor and pureed until smooth.  I also threw in some butter, salt, fresh thyme and cracked pepper.  Along with all of those seasonings, the recipe called for a leek and apple mixture to top the squash mash.  We didn't have leeks, so I used one small onion and sautéed it with some butter and a diced apple.  I actually folded it in to the squash puree.  It was super yummy!  I actually really enjoyed it.  The flavor was nice and the crunch and sweetness from the apples was a nice surprise.  

To accompany our squash puree, I also made a pork tenderloin.  It was nothing special, but the sauce that I made to go with it was fantastic.  It was a mixture of apple juice, honey dijon mustard, some brown sugar and a little maple syrup.  I thickened it up with some corn starch as well.  It had a nice sweetness from the juice, sugar and syrup and probably could have used just a little more sweetness, but also had a nice bite from the mustard.  I liked it a lot and it complimented the other aspects of the meal really nicely.  

I'm not sure what my next kitchen adventure will be, but I will say that I may be attempting ice cream very soon.  I know it's winter and ice cream sounds like a crazy thing to make, but I just got the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid mixer and I'm kind of dying to try it out.  Stay tuned!


Happy Cooking!