We've got a leftover acorn squash over here. And brown sugar, in the pantry.
And a hankering for something Indonesian.
Indonesian? Yup—that's because Marja, our resident chef, is Dutch-Indonesian. It's the Indo influence that makes coconut milk one of her kitchen staples. She's poured it, warm, over ice cream. Added a few tablespoons to chocolate fondue. Snuck it into chicken soup.
And used it to transform the way we view squash (Hint: it's now, and will forever be, a dessert). Her recipe requires only 5 ingredients: acorn squash, olive oil, brown sugar, coarse sea salt and coconut milk. These days, you can find coconut milk almost anywhere, from the big grocery chains to the small specialty stores. One mandate: don't buy the reduced fat version (no fat = no taste). Go for the good stuff instead. Or we'll unsubscribe you.
Acorn Squash with Coconut Milk and Brown Sugar
(Serves 4)
The Goods
2 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can coconut milk (15 oz)
8 loosely packed tablespoons brown sugar
Coarse sea salt
The How-To
Rub
olive oil on inside and outside of acorn squash halves.
Place
on cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.
Pour
coconut milk into small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the liquid thickens noticeably.
Remove
the acorn squash from the oven, then remove the flesh from inside of each squash, placing (while still warm) into four serving bowls.
Pour
about a quarter cup of coconut milk into each bowl, surrounding the squash with a "moat" of milk, and then top the squash with 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Finish
with a pinch of coarse sea salt and serve right away, while very warm (the squash, not you).
We're cuckoo, for
coconut milk.