Raw Acorn Squash with Pear Sauce

This dish is a simple as it gets. I think local Acorn Squash works best with this dish. The idea is to taste the squash and Acorn Squash has a smooth taste. I make a large amount of the sauce and then add some of it to whatever amount of squash I want for the evening. This is an easy to prepare side dish or it is excellent as the main course.

Ingredients:

• Squash (2 cups) (I like Acorn but any kind, Spaghetti, Butternut, Zucchini etc works)
• Pears (2 medium, very ripe, mostly brown skin and very soft)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 fresh squeezed medium or 1/6 cup Verjus)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4-1/2 cup depending on sourness you want)
• Garlic (2 big cloves)
• Olive oil (3 tbs, use a good one)(can be omitted, used to cut the sourness)

Chop the pears up into small pieces and combine with the lemon, apple cider vinegar, and garlic in a food processor or blender until a liquid (30 sec.). Peal skin and remove the seeds from the squash. Then use a sprializer to make noodles or just cut the acorn squash into ½ sugar cube size chunks. In a bowl mix together the squash noodles with the sauce and olive oil and it is ready. This makes enough for the main entree of two people. I like to put the sauce on the squash just before serving. The idea is to taste the full flavor of the squash along with the tanginess of the sauce. This goes well with a nice arugula salad and a very bold red wine. I keep the sauce covered in the refrigerator for 5 days and it is still fine. I have mixed the pear sauce with the squash and let it marinate for a day in the fridge. This softens the squash and takes out some of the strong squash taste. Marinating works well for people who find uncooked squash to be too gamey a taste. Once again this should be a celebration of fresh local grown squash. Other fruits can be substituted such as Mango, Kiwi, Cherry, Blueberry, Guava etc.  Salud!