Recipe: Classic Baked Acorn Squash (Re: Squash questions)

Squash can't be cooked in a microwave? That's news to me. My microwave cookbook gives instructions on how to do just that.

I'm not a botanist, so I don't know for sure whether squash and sweet potatoes are related; but I don't believe a plant that produces fruit above ground (squash) could be anything but only remotely related, if that, to one that produces tubers underground (sweet potatoes).

To cook one 1 to 1 1/2 pound acorn squash in a microwave oven, pierce it once or twice with a sharp knife. Microwave on high for 6 1/2 to 11 1/2 minutes, turning over once. Let stand for 5 minutes; cut in half. Remove pulp and seeds. (To cook two squash at one time, microwave for 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes longer, till squash is very tender.)

To bake in the oven, you could just roast it whole after piercing. Or here's a recipe that requires it to be cut before baking. They can be hard to cut... Be careful not to hurt yourself!

CLASSIC BAKED ACORN SQUASH

1 acorn squash
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a strong chef's knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.

Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 tbsp. of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a tbsp. of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.