Roasted Acorn Squash with Miso Glaze

This roasted acorn squash with miso glaze is a great side dish and as the squash pieces  brown, the glaze sweet becomes sweet with a salty, nutty ~umami flavor that is delicious.

Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans, salt and a koji mold.  It is used in Japanese soups, salad dressing, marinades and sauces and comes in several different varieties from white to yellow to dark brown. Koji is a key ingredient in miso and is a microbe that is mixed with partially cooked rice and has a nutty, floral, sweet woodsy fragrance.  When it has bloomed, it is gathered and mixed with soybeans to continue the fermentation process for miso.  Koji is also used to make soy sauce and sake.  Miso has a salty-sweet taste and look for miso that has not been pasteurized so it still contains healthy, enzyme rich microorganisms for your gut. You can find it in the refrigerator aisle and it contains all essential amino acids and is loaded with vitamin B12.  Keep it tightly sealed and it will last in the refrigerator for months. I also like to make a miso salad dressing similar to the ones they often serve in Japanese restaurants with garlic, ginger, rice vinegar and sesame oil.  To make the miso glaze, mix up some miso with ginger, sake, rice vinegar, soy, and a little brown sugar and brush it over the squash.  I like to line a baking tray with foil or parchment because the glaze can be a little sticky as it browns.  The glaze is also good brushed on kabocha, butternut squash or sliced eggplant and makes a great glaze for salmon or chicken.  click here for the recipe….