Miso Glazed Kabocha Squash Food

SAKE-STEAMED KABOCHA SQUASH WITH WHITE MISO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel squash very lightly, still keeping it green at the edge. Cut squash lengthwise into 1-inch-wide wedges, then cut the wedges crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.
• In a small bowl, combine miso and 3 tablespoons sake, stir and set aside.
• Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium. Add chile peppers and let them sizzle, then add squash and stir to coat. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Spread out squash slices in one layer and cook gently without browning for about 3 minutes. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of sake and cover with lid. Allow squash to steam for about 2 minutes more, until it is just cooked through.
• Add miso-sake mixture and sesame oil, if using, carefully combining to coat squash slices without smashing or breaking them. Serve hot, at room temperature or cold.

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 SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Using a heavy, sharp knife, cut the squash in half top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. (If desired, save the seeds for roasting.) Brush cut sides of squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Place squash cut side up on the baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
• When the squash is nearly done roasting, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened but not taken on any color, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring more frequently, until the onion is uniformly golden brown, another 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, cinnamon and cayenne. Stir in lemon juice, scraping up any stuck bits from the pan, and remove from heat.
• When the squash is tender, scoop the flesh out of the shell and into the saucepan, breaking it up. Stir in 2 cups stock and 3 tablespoons miso. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in shifts depending on the capacity of your machine. Return to the pot, add remaining 3 cups stock and bring to a simmer over medium, stirring often. Taste and add salt and more cayenne if desired.
• Transfer 2 tablespoons soup to a small saucepan and whisk in remaining tablespoon miso over low heat.
• Divide the soup among bowls or cups and drizzle a small amount of the miso-soup mixture on each serving, tracing it on the surface with a knife. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate soup until ready to serve, up to 3 days. (It can be frozen for up to 1 month.) Reheat soup before serving.

CHINESE BRAISED KABOCHA SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add ginger, garlic and scallions and cook until fragrant (2 minutes). Add stock, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
• Add squash and cook, turning once, until softened (about 8 minutes). Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, turning once to evenly glaze (15-20 minutes).

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.

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.