Chef Carla Hall - selecting acorn squash

We loved watching Chef Carla Hall in action as she engaged the audience as she prepared her very tasty recipe for Roast Acorn Squash with Apple Onion Compote. One of her most endearing qualities as a chef is that she brings her big and bold personality to whatever she is working on and then delivers a product that one can be proud. 

Chef Carla Hall cutting the acron squash

Chef Carla Hall advises that when you roast squashes, you leave the seeds in to add extra flavor, and remove them once cooked. She cuts her acorn squash in half, sprinkles salt on the cut side, and places it cut side down to roast in the oven at 400-degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes, until almost tender. When is it done? She advises to cook with your senses. The roasted acorn squash should feel like a ripe avocado when it is cooked. 

Chef Carla Hall and Duff Goldman

For her Roast Acorn Squash with Apple Onion Compote, she uses Honeycrisp apples, onion, garlic, salt, and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Start by chopping the onion and sautéeing it until translucent, then add chopped garlic, and salt. 

Seasoning the acorn squash

Peel and chop apples, add EVOO and massage the oil into the apples. Add apples to a hot pan and sauté until brown, as "there is flavor in the brown." Now, add the cooked apples to the onion mixture, and add herbs like thyme and sage. 

Chopping Apples

Remove the seeds from the cooked squash. Cut the squash halves into wedges. Oil the wedges, add salt, and place them in another hot pan. Note: By oiling the wedges and not the pan, you will not over oil the squash. It is important to understand your palate and know how to season, and she notes that it is important to balance bitter with sweet. She suggests that the first time you make a recipe, you make it as directed. The next time you make it, adjust it to your own palate. 

Tasting

Chef Carla notes that you should always toast nuts before using them to add texture and joked that there are three stages when cooking nuts: not done, not done, and burnt! So, take extra care to not burn your nuts. Her tip to toast the pepitas is to add EVOO to them, add salt, and spread them on a baking sheet and bake until toasted. 

Plated Roast Acorn Squash with Apple Onion Compote

Presentation: Place roasted and sauteed acorn squash wedges on a plate, add the apple and onion compote, and garnish with toasted pepitas.

Her advice for those interested in taking culinary classes, is to first take a knife skills class, as knife skills are an important component to cooking. 

Happy Holidays! 

VIDEO: Chef Carla Hall discusses preparing acorn squash - https://youtu.be/bR-fj5aQkfE

For more information on Chef Carla Hall, please visit her website: www.CarlaHall.com. 

Chef Carla Hall - social media
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chefcarlahall
Instagram: www.instagram.com/carlaphall/  @carlahall
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/carlahall  @carlahall 

About The Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (NYCWFF)

"The Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (NYCWFF) is a star-studded four-day event showcasing the talents of the world's most renowned chefs, wine and spirit producers, culinary personalities, lifestyle experts and America's most beloved television chefs while raising critical funds to nourish vulnerable New Yorkers affected by severe illness and food poverty through God's Love We Deliver and Food Bank For New York City.

Widely recognized as the largest wine and food festival in NYC with more than 80 events, NYCWFF is best known for its walk-around tastings in celebration of America's favorite foods, intimate dinners with world-renowned chefs, late night parties, hands-on classes, wine tastings and more. Over 50,000 passionate foodies sip, and savor wine, spirits and world-class cuisine served up by the industry's finest and supported by our exclusive wine and spirits provider, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits.

We're honored to welcome New York's leading provider of life-sustaining meals and nutrition counseling; God's Love We Deliver to the NYCWFF family. Together with Food Bank For New York City, the city's largest hunger-relief organization and our long-term beneficiary, the 14th annual Festival will not only provide a premier epicurean experience but will support New Yorkers in their greatest time of need by raising awareness and critical funds to those facing severe illness and food poverty."

For information on upcoming NYCWFF events, please visit their website: https://nycwff.org  or email them at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The dates for 2023 festival are October 12-15, 2023.

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Read more about the New York City Wine & Food Festival 2022 in the Gastronomy section. 

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