Recipe: Roasted Winter Squash with Ancho Chili, Sage And Tamari Shiitakes

We are all making certain sacrifices these days, and for me, frequent and somewhat leisurely food shopping is a big one. I really love browsing a well-stocked and thoughtfully curated food market or farmers market, making new local food discoveries with every visit. Well, double-masked or not, I am rushing in and out pretty briskly. So that means I am leaning more heavily on my unofficial root cellar just a few steps from my kitchen to inspire simple weeknight meals or side dishes. This recipe has a certain lightness to it — the arugula and shiitakes creating a kind of dinner salad. Yet it keeps the deep savor you’d expect from roasting winter squash with these powerful and complementary flavors.Roasted Winter Squash with Ancho Chili, Sage and Tamari Shiitakes
Serves 2 people as a main dish or 4 people as a side dishPreheat oven to 400 degrees.
1 medium to large butternut squash — about 1 ½ to 2 poundsCut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and reserve them for another purpose. With the tip of a paring knife, score the squash in cross-hatch pattern to about ¼-inch deep. Rub cut faces well with this rub:Ancho-Sage Rub:
2 Tablespoons ancho chili powder (ancho is a particularly mild and fruity dried chili powder)
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons minced sage leaves
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
A few grindings of fresh black pepperStir to combine.2 Tablespoons butter, chilled and dicedAfter squash is seasoned all over the cut face with the rub, dot each half with 1 Tablespoon of small diced cold butter.Place the squash cut face up on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the squash over so skin side is up and continue roasting for another 20 minutes or until squash is very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. While the squash is roasting, prepare the shiitakes.Shiitakes with Tamari and Ginger 1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup of sliced shiitake caps, slices about ¼ inch thick
1 Tablespoon tamari
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated gingerHeat the butter and oil in a skillet. Add the shiitakes and cook until browned evenly. Season in the pan (but off the heat) with the tamari and ginger.Garnishing the squashDivide between the two roasted halves, using the “cup” created by removing the seeds as the place that holds these ingredients:
1 cup of washed and dried Arugula
¼ cup of fresh goat cheese(chevre)
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup tamari roasted shiitakes