Acorn Squash Old Fashioned
Recipe by Kristen Williams
Serves 4
2 Acorn Squash
1/3 c. bourbon
1 c. brown sugar
Angostura bitters
2 Tbs. butter
1 c. walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 c. pomegranate arils*
Fresh sprigs of rosemary
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. With a sharp knife, shave any knobs off of the bottoms of acorn squash—make sure you don’t break through the meat of the squash. The goal is to make the squash able to sit up straight on its bottom.
3. Slice each squash in half width-wise so you have a top and a bottom.
4. Scoop out the seeds and set aside for another recipe or to plant in the backyard.
5. Place each half skin-side up in about 1” of water in a baking dish. Slide into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
6. Add bourbon, brown sugar, a few drops of angostura bitters (to taste), and 1 T. of butter to a small saucepan and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens. Add the second T. of butter and let it melt shortly before serving.
7. When squash is ready, drain water and turn squash right side up on a serving dish (or on each plate) and fill the bowls with toasted walnuts and pomegranate arils. Drizzle bourbon sauce over the walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve.
*Whole cranberries or cranberry relish (Williams Sonoma makes a great one) can be used instead of pomegranate arils.
(Photo by David Keary)
Kristen Williams
Contributor
Kristen Williams is a foodie, a music lover, a gardener, a writer, a political junkie, a public radio fan, a moon watcher, a potlucker, and a licensed professional counselor. Her favorite evening entails a good playlist, a glass of wine, and a skillet, and her Sunday morning ritual is comprised of Meet the Press, OnBeing, and The Splendid Table. She lives in the best neighborhood on earth in Jackson, MS with her cats Elliott, Brighid, and Martin.
This article is from The Wayfarer’s 5th Anniversary Collectors’ Edition
Visit our store and purchase the entire issue in print or digital format. It edition features: Wayfarer of the Issue: Krista Tippett, host of On Being. In this extended interview our Editor-in-chief L.M. Browning and Krista, discuss poetry’s role in the current world climate and its place in the husbandry of the soul. Reimagining the Possible: An Interview with Indie Singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick. The featured photographer of the issue is James Scott Smith. The Mindful Kitchen: Acorn Squash Old Fashioned by Kristen Williams. The Contemplative Column: Contemplating Fatherhood by Theodore Richards. The Environmental Column: Light-Time by Gail Collins-Ranadive. Poetry by: Saizan Owen, Jasmine McBeath, Andrew Jarvis, Ben Colandrea, Elizabeth Bolton, David Amerman, Amy Nawrocki, Jason Kirkey, Ellen Grace O’Brian, J.K. McDowell, David Anthony Sam, Leath Tonino, Dede Cummings, Gunilla Norris, and more!
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