These were a revelation. And easy.
I had extra squash after making my collard green-peanut pesto and decided to roast the remainder to use as a garnish for the dish as seen above. I was doing several things at the same time, neglected the squash half rings terribly, and the result was an amazing vegetarian side dish. Though I used these straight from the oven as garnish, these definitely gain from overnight refrigeration, after which they can be served at room temperature as a side dish. This changes the texture of the squash completely and the end result was deeply condensed in flavor with a sticky, custard like mouth feel.
1 acorn squash (wash well as you can eat the skin as well)
Tajin spice mix (or a mixture of salt and chili flakes to your taste, combined with the zest of one lime)
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Microwave the acorn squash for 8 minutes, turning the squash over at the half way mark. This will not cook the squash through, but will allow you to cut through it with great ease.
Once you remove it from the microwave, cut it in half lengthwise and set aside for 5 minutes until it is cool enough to handle.
Remove the seeds. Cut each half squash into crescent moons of about half an inch thick. Lay the rings on the baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and use as a garnish for the collard green-peanut pesto dish or allow to cool on the countertop if using as a side dish in its own right.
Once cool, use a spatula to remove each squash piece from the foil and place in an airtight container overnight.
Remove from the fridge in advance to allow the squash rings to come to room temperature and sprinkle with Tajin or the salt/chili/lime mixture before serving. You can eat these as is, or you can serve them as part of a vegetarian dinner, topped with the much mentioned above collard green-peanut pesto.
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