This is a great winter fruit and vegetable dish. I had only ever cooked acorn squash with large amounts of brown sugar or maple syrup before this, but in this recipe the apples and apple cider really negate all the bitterness in the squash. It also turns out that acorn squashes have fairly large middles and made perfect little bowls for the filling.

Pork and Apple stuffed Acorn Squash.

Serves 2

2 small acorn squash, halved, seeds removed and reserved for another use

½ cup apple cider, divided

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, minced

½ pound pork, ground

1 apple, cored, diced

 Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the squash on a sheet tray.  Pour ¼ cup apple cider into a medium skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add butter. Once the butter is melted brush apple reduction onto squash halves generously.  Place squash in the oven and bake. (They likely won’t be cooked by the time you finish the filling, but check periodically and brush on more reduction. The squash take about 40 minutes to cook.)

 In the same medium skillet, add vegetable oil and onions. Sauté until transparent. Add pork. Sauté until cooked through. Add apples and remaining cider. Simmer until liquid has evaporated. Remove squash from the oven and test for doneness (it should be tender when pierced with a fork). Spoon apple and pork filling into the squash halves. If the squash is done, serve immediately. If the squash isn’t done, tent stuffed squash with foil and return to the oven. Bake until squash is fork tender.