Name: Slow-Cooker Maple-Orange Glazed Acorn Squash
Total time: 3 h
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons grated orange zest plus ½ cup juice; 5 whole clove; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 small acorn squash (1 pound each), quartered pole to pole and seeded; Salt and pepper; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander; Pinch cayenne pepper; 1/4 cup hazelnuts , toasted, skinned, and chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

A quintessential fall vegetable, acorn squash takes forever to roast and often emerges dry and a bit grainy. In the slow cooker, however, it turns tender easily without overcooking or drying out. And as an added bonus, you can perfume it with warm spices as it cooks. Here we created a cooking base made up of water, orange juice, cloves, and cinnamon and placed the squash cut side down in this flavorful mixture. And since we think a glaze greatly enhances acorn squash, we made a quick one in the microwave by combining maple syrup with coriander, cayenne pepper, and orange zest; toasted hazelnuts provided great crunch and flavor.

Before You Begin

You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe.

Instructions

1. Combine 1 cup water, orange juice, cloves, and cinnamon stick in slow cooker. Season squashes with salt and pepper and shingle cut side down in slow cooker. Cover and cook until squashes are tender, 3 to 4 hours on low or 2 to 3 hours on high.

Using tongs, transfer squashes to serving dish, brushing away any cloves that stick to squashes. Microwave maple syrup, coriander, cayenne, and orange zest in bowl until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle glaze over squashes and sprinkle with hazelnuts and parsley. Serve.

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