Miso Glazed Kabocha Squash Recipes

ROASTED WINTER SQUASH WITH MISO GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet (or 2 if necessary) with parchment. Peel the squash, cut in half and scrape out the seeds and fibers. Slice 1/2 inch thick and place in a large bowl. Season with a little salt if desired and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sesame oil. Lay the slices in one layer on the baking sheet(s).
• Roast the squash for 25 to 30 minutes, turning the slices over every 10 minutes, until the slices are tender all the way through and lightly colored.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler and make the glaze. To make the glaze, combine the mirin and sake in the smallest saucepan you have and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 20 seconds, taking care not to boil off much of the liquid, then turn the heat to low and stir in the miso and the sugar. Whisk over medium-low heat without letting the mixture boil until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sesame oil.
• Remove the squash from the oven and brush each slice with the miso glaze. Place under the broiler, about 2 inches from the heat, and broil for about 1 minutes, or until the glaze begins to bubble and looks shiny. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool if desired or serve hot.

MISO-GLAZED KABOCHA SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a blender or food processor, whirl miso, ginger, sake, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
• In a large bowl, toss squash slices with miso mixture to coat thoroughly. Lift slices from sauce and arrange them, overlapping slightly, on a large baking sheet. Reserve sauce.
• Bake 15 minutes. Brush slices with remaining sauce (you will have some left over) and cook until tender when thick edges are pierced with a fork, about 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Drizzle with sesame oil and serve hot or warm.

MISO-SQUASH RAMEN

Steps:

• Squash
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk oil, miso, maple syrup, and soy sauce in a small bowl until a thick paste forms. Place squash on a rimmed baking sheet and scrape dressing over; toss to coat. Arrange squash in a single layer and roast until fork-tender (it will be a little caramelized in spots), 25-30 minutes.
• Broth and assembly
• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Set 8 roasted squash wedges (or about 2 cups if using butternut) aside for serving. Add miso and remaining squash to pot and blend with an immersion blender until mostly smooth; season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, you can let broth cool slightly, then purée with sqush and miso in a regular blender.)
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook broccolini until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a plate.
• Add noodles to same pot and cook according to packet directions. Drain and divide noodles among bowls.
• Ladle broth over noodles and arrange broccolini and reserved squash (cut in half if they are very big) on top. Scatter cilantro over.