Acorn Squash, Sweet Potatoes, and Pork Roast

Today we had a meal that took advantage of the wonderful autumn produce that we found in the grocery store. You can see the pork roast in the lower part of the plate, the sweet potato/cranberry casserole on the right, and the stuffed acorn squash on top. The flavor combinations worked well together in spite of the missing green vegetable and salad.

Pork and Apple Compote

The pork roast cooked slowly in the oven separately while I prepared the other dishes. 

For the Apple Compote, I used gala and tentation apples because I already had some. Granny Smith or Rome apples would work just as well. I peeled and cored the apples, then cut them into small cubes. Since only three people were eating, I used three apples, juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. I cooked the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat for about 30 minutes. The compote was done when the apples were nice and tender. I poured the apple compote over the meat to serve as shown in the picture above on the right.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I used the following ingredients:

• 3 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
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First I cleaned the seeds and spread them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. I put them in the oven and heated them for about 20 minutes at 250 degrees F to toast them. When they became brown, I removed them and set them aside to cool.

1. I then preheated the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. I filled a baking pan with about 1/2 inch of water and placed the squash halves in the pans with the cut sides down. I baked the squash for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.
3. While the squash baked, I heated the oil in a skillet over medium heat. I put the onions and celery in the skillet, and cooked until tender. Then I stirred in the sausage and thyme.I stirred until everything was evenly brown.
4. When the squash was tended I removed it from the oven. I then carefully scraped the pulp from the rinds to keep the rinds intact. I set the rinds aside. 
5. I placed the pulp in a bowl, and mashed it with a potato masher. I then mixed in the cooked sausage mixture, egg, bread crumbs, raisins, and pecans. When thoroughly mixed, I scooped the mixture into the reserved rinds and set the stuffed squash in baking dishes.
6. I baked them for about 25 minutes in the 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven, until they were thoroughly heated. The picture above shows the finished product. Beside the stuffed squash are the roasted pumpkin seeds.

Sweet Potato and Cranberry

The sweet potatoes and cranberries were fabulous in the grocery store, so I wanted a recipe to use them both. I found a great recipe using the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups granola cereal
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• I peeled the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. In a large saucepan, I covered the sweet potatoes with water; and brought it to a boil. I then reduced the heat, and covered and simmered the sweet potatoes for about 30 minutes or until they were tender. I drained and cooled them. 
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• In a bowl, I combined cranberries, sugar, orange juice and salt. I greased an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish and but half of the cranberry mixture on the bottom of the dish. I then made a layer on top using half of the sweet potatoes. I added another layer of the cranberry mixture and another layer of sweet potatoes. I dotted the top with butter and covered and baked the it at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the cranberries were tender. I uncovered the mixture and sprinkled granola on top. I returned the uncovered dish to the oven for 10 minutes to toast the granola.

Everyone enjoyed this meal, and I suggest that you try it. If you do, let me know what you think of it!