Mama’s Baked Pecan and Acorn Squash
Pecans—all nuts—will go rancid if not stored properly. To stay fresh, pecans should be refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container; they will keep for up to two years without loss of flavor or texture. In the fall, when pecans are in season, buy enough for the year and freeze them. You’ll taste the difference. The flavor of this dish takes me back to childhood. I loved so much when Mama made this dish of tender acorn squash with their centers filled with melted butter and sugar. You can keep the pumpkin pie. Instead, serve me a helping of this dish!
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the inside of the squash halves with butter and season with salt and pepper. Turn them upside down on a baking sheet and bake until just tender when pierced with the point of a knife, 30 to 45 minutes.
Step 2
Combine the pecans, syrup, and thyme in a small bowl. Turn the squash upright on the baking sheet. Place an equal amount of the pecan mixture in the cavities of the halved squash. Return to the oven and bake until the squash are very tender and the syrup is bubbly, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
southern syrups
Step 3
Sorghum is a cane-like grass related to millet. When crushed, the juice is boiled down to produce sorghum syrup or sorghum. The grain is now widely used as an animal crop in the United States, but it is very nutritious and is the world’s third-largest food grain. Sorghum is rich with iron, calcium, and potassium. Cane syrup is the boiled-down juice from sugar cane, similar to the way maple syrup is boiled down to make maple syrup. Cane syrup is thicker than sorghum syrup, with more viscosity, and tends to have a fuller, sweeter taste. It is delicious. Molasses is a by-product of sugar refining. There are three grades: light, dark, and blackstrap. Blackstrap, from the Dutch word stroop, meaning syrup, is very dark in color and slightly bitter in flavor as a result of repeated boiling. Molasses is available as unsulphured, made from the concentrated juice of sun-ripened cane, and sulphured, made from cane that is harvested when slightly green—the latter is generally considered less desirable. This syrup is best used as an ingredient, since it can be overwhelming on foods when raw.
