*© 2010 RC deWinter ~ All Rights Reserved

If you want to be a true Connecticut Yankee, this is the way to eat acorn squash:
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Connecticut Yankee Holiday Acorn Squash

3 small acorn squash, rinsed, halved & seeded
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6¾ cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3½ cups wild rice
2 cups dried cranberries
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons crumbled dry sage
1½ cups hazelnuts, toasted, skinned & chopped
1 cup finely-chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375◦ F. Oil baking sheet. Place squash cut side down on sheet. Bake till tender, about 40 minutes. Cool until you can comfortably scoop pulp from squash, leaving ¼” thick shell.; reserve shells. Put pulp in a large bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 350◦ F.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add wild rice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 45-50 minutes or until the rice is just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir cranberries, parsley and thyme into rice. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in hazelnuts & green onions and then add to reserved squash pulp. Season generously with salt and pepper. Divide evenly among the 6 reserved squash shells, place in a roasting pan and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Garnish with additional dried cranberries and hazelnuts if desired.
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Digital oil painting with a watercolor wash. Adapted from an original photograph shot in Cromwell, Connecticut on April 21, 2010.*