Calabazas! Those wonderful squash that a lot of people may not realize are a large part of Spanish cooking.  I personally love squash: summer squash such as zucchini and crookneck, and winter squash like butternut and acorn, and yes pumpkin!

Some days, I just don’t have a clue how to change up the menu when it comes to making a squash side dish. The other night, I came up with this recipe after looking over a few dozen recipes that just didn’t really excite me. Turns out this ended up pretty good, so I have added it to my recipe files, and I want to share it with you!

Baked Butternut Squash with a Tart Twist

1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 tablespoons firmly-packed brown sugar
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a shallow baking dish.

Using a large knife, carefully cut the butternut squash into two halves lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and any fibrous-strings. Wrap the halves in plastic wrap and microwave for approximately 5 minutes. This will partially cook the squash making it easier to peel and quicker to cook in the final baking stage.

Peel the skin off the both halves of the squash, after allowing it to cool to the touch. Dice the squash into 1-inch pieces and place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, lemon zest, and cardamom evenly over the squash pieces.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and melted butter together until the sugar is dissolved; stir in the lemon juice. Drizzle this brown sugar mixture over the squash.

Bake approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned across the top and the squash pierces easily with a fork.

Serves 4 people.