Friday, October 24, 2008

Keeping It Fun with Acorn Squash

Acorn squash sliced

Eating locally means going with the best the season has to offer. I receive a box from my CSA farm every week. Summers are so easy and bountiful, Autumn is more of a challenge for me. There is only so much winter squash I can eat before I start to crave the stunning greens of Spring and Summer. My solution is to diversify how I prepare the Fall cornucopia that crosses the threshold of my kitchen.

acorn squash miso platter

There are many recipes on the internet for eggplant glazed with miso. I decided to take the concept and apply it to the humble acorn squash. I had the perfect miso glaze in my recipe box. The saltiness of the miso brings out the natural sweetness of the squash while the sesame seeds add visual appeal. This beautiful dish would make a great addition to any Autumn meal.

acorn miso top view

Miso Glazed Acorn Squash (serves 4)
This dish can be made with any firm fleshed winter squash.

1 acorn squash, seeded and quartered

1/4 cup white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

acorn squash with miso glaze

Preheat oven to 400F
oil cookie-sheet or baking dish

In a bowl, mix well: miso, vinegar, water, ginger, and agave nectar.
Place the squash skin down onto your oiled dish. Coat the squash with the miso glaze, letting it puddle in the center. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the whole thing.

Bake for 30 minutes and then carefully, using a soup spoon, reglaze the squash using the puddled marinade in the center of each quarter. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the squash in started to look golden and is cooked through (check by inserting a toothpick or small knife in one of the pieces. It should go in easily)

acorn miso baked close-up


More squash recipe...
Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake
Pumpkin Butter with Candied Ginger

29 comments:

test it comm said...

The salty miso would go well with the sweet squash.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

HOLY YUM!

Stacey Snacks said...

Alexa,
I cheat.
I buy the nice pre-cut cubed squash in the package, makes life so much easier!

Dewi said...

Alexa,
How pretty...
I love those specks of sesames seeds, and the saltiness of the miso.

Anonymous said...

That looks so good I might try my attempt at squash other than spaghetti.

Just one question though, would I find miso on the asian aisle at my grocery store? Is that a readily available ingredient?

I love miso soup, so this is right up my alley!

Maggie M. said...

great recipe :) I will definitely try it with one of my acorn squash.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Very pretty squash! How appealing those seeds make it look and lovely photos :)

Usha said...

Interesting way to have squash...

Rico said...

It looks absolutely amazing ...does it tastes like it looks?
Yummm!

http://ricocoffeeshop.blogspot.com

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

Squash and miso sounds like a must-try. Thanks.

RecipeGirl said...

What a delicious twist on acorn squash!

Mary Ann said...

I just love how everything you post is so beautiful. Now that I have discovered that I love winter squash I think we are going to be enjoying it alot more often. This looks wonderful. Please come over. I will share my leftovers, but I require you to bring some of everything on your blog :)

Anonymous said...

My wife (Dr. E.) and I both love winter squash (Acorn and Butternut are our absolute favorites).

Your Miso-glazed idea looks like a real winner, so when we were at our local Giant Foods this morning (they had beautiful winter squash for only 79-cents per pound), we picked up a couple.

Here's betting they go GREAT with the $4.99/pound USDA "Choice" Porterhouse steaks they were also featuring. GAWD!

Life in Maryland is SOOoo good!

Thanks for helping us bring together a culinarily orgasmic meal.

DocChuck and Dr. E.

Elizabeth said...

Wow. What a wonderful, healthy idea!

Alexa said...

Thanks for your comments everyone. I really appreciate them. :-) :-) :-)

Biz,
In answer to your question, you can find white miso at any asian grocery store, but most regular large grocery stores, in big cities, carry it as well. It might be located in a special refrigerated section so I would ask the clerk. It's worth seeking out for soups, glazes and wonderful salad dressing. It keeps for a long time in the refrigerator. You might also want to call some health/natural food stores and see if they carry it. Hope this helps...

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Such a simple yet impressive looking dish! I really love how it looks!

Sophie said...

I'm getting my first box of local organic produce this week and I can't wait! I actually just told another blogger that I've never tried acorn squash! Hopefully I'll get some in my box this week so I can try out this recipe :). I don't think I can get enough of squash, but I certainly miss the green veggies, too :)!

Andrew Abraham said...

Great Picture Alexa... I am sure your Squash recipe is full of antioxidents... I can not wait to try your acorn squash recipe...thanks

Andy
www.recipebuddys.com

Amy said...

Wow, this sounds amazing! I must try this soon.

Anonymous said...

What a clever alternative to the usual recipes :] I'm totally gonna try this one out!!! I love eggplant + miso and I can only imagine this is just as delicious!!!

Leonor de Sousa Bastos said...

This pumpkin must have been special with this miso glaze!

Very original and creative...

MrsDocChuck said...

Now that we are on a fixed income, recipes like this are a Godsend!

We had miso-glazed acorn squash along with our Swiss Steak for Sunday supper and it was delicious.

We'll be eating a lot of squash, parsnips, rutabegas and potatoes this winter, due to financial conditions. I can't wait to make this again.

~~Liz T., RN

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Wow that was sinfully delicious and simple too...

I have something waiting for you at
http://memoryarchieved.blogspot.com/2008/10/rasmalai.html

Maggie said...

This sounds fantastic! I've done a similar glaze on tofu and salmon. I'll give a try with the pie pumpkin I have today.

Anonymous said...

Okay, you need to accept the fact that I am a PROFESSIONAL CHEF and a SENIOR ADVISER for the SeriousEats website (ask Ed Levine, who simply adores me and my beautiful body).

My boyfriend David Wyers (all 437 pounds of him) would throw me out of his rented trailer house if I served him something like SQUASH.

But thank you anyway.

Anonymous said...

Oh.... YUM!


What a Fabulous Idea!!!

CECIL said...

I was craving some squash earlier this week and wondered what new thing I can do with it. You just gave me the perfect recipe. :D Like always.

Anonymous said...

Such a nice way to serve squash.. Best part is, I already have all the ingredients.

Anonymous said...

Nice concept, but you've got to admit it looks like ants crawling on squash when you first see it.

Related Posts with Thumbnails