maple glazed acorn squash wedges

January weather!  Rain, snow, sleet and the foot or so of snow we have is frozen solid, but at least there is a snow cover so the garden plants are protected.  As long as you keep up with the freeze and thaw cycle, sanding sometimes twice a day, it is walkable, even with a 3 year old.  

With the bitter cold some days (-15), I lean more toward roasted chicken, roasted vegetables, and perhaps a fish chowder - sturdy winter food that warms me up more than a lighter soup.  One of my new favorites is this roasted acorn squash, tinged with just a very slight sweetness from our local maple syrup.  I make a marinade with ordinary olive oil and a little maple syrup to brush on the wedges that turns them a lovely golden brown, and adds a little more excitement to the somewhat plain but juicy squash;  acorn squash is my very favorite of all the squashes.

To make:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Scrub your squash under cold water - this will get rid of any residue or dirt on the surface.  No need to peel the squash, as it gets very tender during the roasting.

Carefully slice an acorn squash into wedges, then scoop the seeds out.  I like thinner wedges, rather than the larger quarters, and they roast more quickly.

Place the wedges one side down on a parchment covered baking sheet.

Mix equal parts plain olive oil (not virgin olive oil, which can be bitter) and pure maple syrup in a small bowl and mix with a fork.  I used 3 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons maple syrup for one small acorn squash.  The mixture will emulsify and thicken.

Spoon or brush a small amount of marinade over each wedge, flip, then do the other side.

Bake for 25 minutes, then, using a spatula, turn over the wedges, brush with marinade, and bake another 15 minutes.

Remove to a platter and serve immediately.  If you want a little more maple flavor, you can drizzle a teaspoon of pure maple syrup over the squash just before serving.

Hope you're enjoying winter, wherever you are!