Desperate Travelers Acorn Paste Food

ACORN SQUASH AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Cut the acorn squash in half; scoop out the seeds and discard. Slice the squash into 1- inch slices. Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet and roast until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the peel and dice the squash.
• In the meantime, make the agrodolce. In a small saucepan, combine the red wine vinegar, currants and honey. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook until reduced and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Stir in a pinch of crushed red pepper.
• In a large bowl, toss the squash with the agrodolce sauce, mint and almonds. Serve hot or at room temperature.

DESPERATE TRAVELERS' ACORN PASTE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 2. Coat acorns with 1 tablespoon peanut oil and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool acorns.
• 3. Process the acorns in a food processor on high speed until finely ground. Continue processing until acorns form a thick paste.
• 4. Slowly add remaining peanut oil until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides and adding a little more oil as needed. Serve on Winterfell Black Bread or a bread of your choice.

CHOCO-CROWNED ACORNS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour cookie sheets. In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. Stir in egg yolks and almond extract. Add flour, blend well. Divide dough in half and add green coloring to one half and red coloring to the other half. Be careful not to add too much colorings. These should be a pretty light green and a pretty pink. Pinch off small balls of dough, roll between palms of hands into acorn shape, pointed at the bottom. Bake until shininess has disappeared and cookie is solid, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. Dip wide end of cookie in melted chocolate some in white and some dark chocolate. Place on waxed paper until chocolate has hardened.
• The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.