Baked Winter Squash and Apples with Maple Syrup
Serve this yummy dish with grilled sausage or spoon over cooked wheat berries or barley. Adapted from Epicurious.com. Serves 12 as a side.
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds winter squash (about 2 medium), peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 6 cups)
2 pounds apples, peeled, quartered, cored, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 6 cups)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
Freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook squash in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well. Combine squash, apples and cranberries in buttered 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Season generously with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine maple syrup, butter and cider vinegar in heavy small saucepan. Whisk over low heat until butter melts. Pour syrup over squash mixture and toss to coat evenly. Bake until squash and apples are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Cool 5 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil; chill. Rewarm covered in 350°F. oven about 30 minutes.)