Rosh Hashanah tables tend to lean sweet. Honey cake, apples dipped in honey, silan, pomegranates, round challahs glazed until golden. It is one of the most beautiful and meaningful spreads of the year and I love every bit of it. But after years of cooking for the holiday I found myself wanting something that could hold its own against all of that sweetness. Something unexpected. Something with a little more edge.
This miso glazed butternut squash is that dish. The glaze brings together miso, date syrup, sesame oil and rice vinegar in a combination that is savory, sticky and deeply complex. It still nods to the simanim — squash is eaten on Rosh Hashanah with a blessing for a year of sweetness and abundance — but the miso and rice vinegar cut through the sweetness in a way that makes every other dish on the table taste better. Finished with toasted sesame seeds and fresh dates it is stunning to look at and even better to eat.
Miso Glazed Butternut Squash with Dates and Sesame
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp date syrup
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 4 medjool dates cut in half and then thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter on a diagonal, rotating the squash 45 degrees between each cut to create irregular angled pieces. This method gives the squash more surface area to brown and caramelize.
- Toss squash with olive oil and season with salt. Place on the baking sheet in one layer so that everything cooks evenly. bake for 25 minutes or until the bottom sides have started to brown.
- Stir together miso paste, sesame oil, date syrup and rice vinegar.
- Remove squash from the oven and flip over each piece. Glaze the squash with the miso mixture and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.
- Let cool slightly and place on a serving plate. Top with parsley, sesame seeds and dates.