Spiced Acorn Squash

I've been at this farm for almost eight months now without leaving Vermont. That's not a complaint — I'm aware that some people's isolation has been far worse, that my space and my work are privileges. But I noticed the number this week, turning it over. March to October without crossing a state line. The world shrank to a county and a half and it turns out you can live well in that.

The COVID numbers are climbing again nationally. The phrase "second wave" is appearing in the news. Vermont is still holding but the surrounding states are worse. I've been watching the maple grove and thinking about the spring — whether things will be different by then. There's a particular kind of hope that the maple season represents, I think: something biological and indifferent to human trouble that just keeps happening regardless. The sap will run in March. I find that stabilizing.

Harvested the winter squash this week — butternut and delicata and one enormous Hubbard that I've been watching develop all summer. The squash go into the barn cellar on wooden pallets where they'll last through February. I do this every year. The barn cellar in October is one of the most satisfying things I know: squash in rows, potatoes in bins, apple boxes, the garlic braids hanging. A winter's worth of food in one room.

Made butternut squash soup — the first of the fall, which is more ceremony than necessity, a marking of the season. Roasted the squash halves first, which deepens the flavor, then blended with stock and a spoonful of maple syrup and a pinch of nutmeg. Simple, warm, entirely correct for an October evening. I ate it by the woodstove with bread and felt, if briefly, that everything was in its right place.

The butternut soup I made that evening was its own kind of ceremony, but the squash in the cellar kept calling me back — all those different varieties on the wooden pallets, each one a small act of future-planning. Acorn squash in particular lends itself to this kind of simple, honest cooking: halved and roasted with warm spices, it asks very little of you and gives a great deal back. If you’re looking to mark the season in your own kitchen, this is the recipe I reach for when I want something that feels completely right for an October evening.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Prepare the squash. Cut each acorn squash in half from stem to base and scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers with a spoon. Place the halves cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet.
Make the spiced butter. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir until smooth and well blended.
Fill and coat. Divide the spiced butter evenly among the four squash cavities, spreading some across the cut surfaces as well so the flesh roasts with the seasoning throughout.
Roast. Transfer to the oven and roast for 40–45 minutes, until the squash flesh is completely tender when pierced with a fork and the edges are golden and caramelized. Baste once halfway through with any pooled butter from the cavities.
Serve. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm, straight from the skin, with crusty bread alongside if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spiced Acorn Squash — The First Squash of Fall, When the Cellar Is Full and the Woodstove Is Going