Acorn Squash

In this shoulder season, as we trade the tomatoes, eggplants, and peaches of summer for heartier fall produce, there’s one thing I get most excited about:winter squash。Sure, you can find some varieties year-round (like butternut, acorn, and spaghetti), but they are at their best—at their peak of sweetness and with the most deliciously buttery flesh—in the cooler months.Acorn squashis a favorite of mine because when it’s fresh from harvest, its skin is quite tender and delicious. I just love biting in and meeting only the tiniest bit of resistance.And that’s why I’ve showcased this lovely squash in a preparation typically used for meat. It deserves center-of-the-plate status, after all. I’ve given it the saltimbocca treatment here, lining wedges of the squash with fresh sage leaves, wrapping them in prosciutto, and roasting to crisp up the pork and caramelize the edges of thesquash。最终你会得到一个美丽的秋天palette-deeporange flesh, hunter green skin, and soft green sage—and flavors that play off each other beautifully. Sage’s earthy pungency cuts the sweetness of the squash, while prosciutto adds salty notes that bring everything into balance.But wait, that’s not all. There’s a nutty butter sauce that’s draped over the finished squash. Butter cooks in a skillet until browned and fragrant, with those toasty, caramel-like notes reminiscent of hazelnuts. A splash of dry sherry, with its raisin-y depth, intensifies the nutty effect, and a touch of citrus and honey lifts the flavors so they resonate on multiple levels, not just one.The recipe is built to use just one average-size squash, perfect for four people. But you can easily double the recipe to serve a larger crowd. It makes such a statement at the table, you might just want to plan on that.

In her latest cookbook,Fresh India, Meera Sodha shows us how fast, fresh, and exciting the vegetable dishes of India can be. Here garam masala–roasted acorn squash joins a very lightly simmered coconut curry with fresh tomatoes and black-eyed peas.Slideshow: More Squash Recipes

Fall is all about orange foods—pumpkin,butternut squash, carrots—and acorn squash happens to be one of our favorites. Creamy and slightly sweet, it's incredibly versatile, equally delicious in ablack-eyed pea coconut curryas it is simply roasted withsage and brown butter。You can even fill it with burrata for an indulgent vegetarian dish that stands on its own as a main course. Tempted? We've rounded up 17 acorn squash recipes we love—now it's up to you to choose which one to make first.

Chef Dave Beran created this wonderfully indulgent vegetarian dish of roasted sweet squash topped with just-melted burrata. It's fantastic with a lush Chardonnay.Slideshow: More Squash Recipes

Halved acorn squash make perfect single-serving bowls. These make a great vegetarian main course for any winter holiday, but they're also a festive accompaniment to turkey, ham or roast goose.Slideshow: More Squash Recipes

Warm, fragrant and earthy sage, combined with brown butter, makes this simple roasted acorn squash fabulous and elegant.Slideshow: More Delicious Roasted Vegetables